A painful discovery for Jay Manichand at Woensel cemetery ‘de Oude Toren’ last week. And that is putting it mildly, because there is nothing left of his son’s grave. The gravestone is damaged and the artificial grass, the fence and cuddly toys lie in a pile like old rubbish. “This is really disrespectful!”
Last Thursday he went to the Eindhoven cemetery with his wife and daughter where what is already an emotional visit took a terrible turn. The carefully made grave had disappeared. The discovery was made by his daughter. “Suddenly our daughter came walking up to us and said: ‘Dad, my brother is gone.'”
At first, he thought he had misunderstood his daughter or that it was a joke, but it turned out to be deadly serious. According to Jay, the municipality had started removing part of the grave fence without his knowledge. The grave pillars were too high according to the regulations and mowing the hedges was therefore difficult. “It is my own child who is lying there. You should communicate that with respect, especially if you are a manager here.”
Ravage
Not only were the four pillars removed during that job. The artificial grass, the fence and stuffed animals lie in a pile behind the caretaker’s shed, while the gravestone appears to have been damaged with a grinder. “It breaks me, I have no words for it,” says the father in tears. “How can someone bring themselves to do this? You just have to keep your hands off it.”
According to the municipality, Jay was indeed warned that the grave took up too much space. The family was asked by letter to adjust this. According to a spokesperson, no response was heard after that. The municipality reports that any damage can be compensated.
An apology or compensation would be welcome in Jay’s eyes, but nothing can make up for it, he says. “It’s not what me and my wife made. We worked here together, laughed, and ate with him. People came here to visit, to help. It’s not that grave anymore.” Next Tuesday, Jay will be in town hall for an interview.
Source: www.studio040.nl
Translated by Yawar Abbas
