Mohammad Sharif was conferred with the Padma Shri award, the fourth highest civilian honour in the country, by the Indian government in 2020. The 83-year-old former bicycle mechanic received his award from the hands of President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Monday, November 8, 2021.  

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Popular as Sharif Chacha in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya, the Padma Shri awarded turned up to perform the last rites of more than 25,000 unclaimed dead bodies in the district over the last three decades.

Sharif took to social service in 1992 after a horrific incident where his son Raees was murdered at the height of the communal tensions during the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

Sharif’s son, a chemist, was on his way to Sultanpur when he became a victim of communal riots. His body was left near railway tracks where it lay unclaimed and was devoured by stray dogs.

Losing his son in this unimaginable manner, Sharif started going to police stations, mortuaries and railway stations to find unclaimed dead bodies.

He then cremated or buried the dead, performing their last rites and giving the due respect to the departed. He performed last rites for individuals across religions – Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Christians.

In his district, the police would hand over dead bodies unclaimed for 72 hours for cremation or burial to Sharif.

Police handover bodies to Sharif after no one claims them for 72 hours.

The story of Sharif and his noble acts soon spread far and wide. He was invited as a guest on Satyamev Jayate, a popular TV show hosted by film star Amir Khan.

Sharif was conferred with the Padma Shri award in 2020 but had been unable to receive it as the ceremony was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 situation. A year later, he was welcomed to the Rashtrapati Bhawan and conferred with India’s fourth highest civilian honour by the President.