Ex-members of Bada Qabrastan Trust allege threats from Tiger Memon over Yakub's grave

Navron and Sarkar, the former members of the Bada Qabrastan Trust, were removed from the Trust last year after receiving repetitive threats from Tiger Memon, who wishes to develop a huge memorial at the burial place of his brother and is therefore after buying the land where he is cremated.

Mumbai: Amid the ongoing controversy over Yakub Memon's grave beautification, two former members of the Bada Qabrastan Trust in Mumbai have come forward alleging that they received threats from Tiger Memon -- an underworld don and Yakub's brother -- demanding to sell the land where Yakub is cremated. Jalil Navron and Parvez Sarkar, former members of the Trust, reached out to the Mumbai Police to complain of several such threats received since 2021.

Both Navron and Sarkar were consequently removed from the Qabrastan Trust last year after receiving repetitive threats. They further informed that Memon, who is currently in Pakistan, wishes to develop a huge memorial at the burial place of his brother and is therefore after the land where he is cremated. The Mumbai police have registered a complaint in the matter and initiated the necessary action.

Navron also informed the police that the Memon family has been adamantly insistent on beautifying Yakub Memon's grave for a long time. The family also attempted to buy the land encompassing three other graves, but both these trustees flatly refused the Memon family. Because of pressure and internal politics, they were soon ousted from the Bada Qabrastan Trust after receiving repeated threats.

Meanwhile, the state is currently experiencing high political pressure over the issue of beautification of 1993 serial blasts convict Yakub Memon's burial place in Mumbai. While the BJP has claimed that Memon's grave was "beautified" during Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's tenure as Maharashtra CM and sought his apology over it, the Sena leaders maintained that the party and the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had nothing to do with it.

As the row erupted further, Mumbai police swung into action on Thursday, removing the LED lights put around the grave of the terror convict, who was hanged at Nagpur jail in 2015 and buried at the Bada Qabrastan in south Mumbai.