Padma Shri ‘Sharif Chacha’ gets invite to attend ‘bhoomi pujan’, but participation doubtful’

Sharif, a cycle mechanic, was involved in the cremation of unclaimed dead bodies for the past 27 years and was given Padma Shri in January this year.

Padma Shri Mohammad Sharif, who is popularly known as “Sharif Chacha” received a formal invitation on Tuesday to attend the August 5 ‘bhoomi pujan’ ceremony for building a Ram temple in Ayodhya but he may not be able to participate in the event due to his ill health. "My father, 82, formally got an invitation for the Ram temple Bhoomi Pujan ceremony this afternoon. His participation in the event is doubtful as he is suffering from kidney disease for past some months and cannot walk easily," Sharif's son Mohammad Sageer told PTI.

He is undergoing ultrasound tests to ascertain his health conditions and it would depend upon test results whether he can attend the event, he said. Sharif, a cycle mechanic, was involved in the cremation of unclaimed dead bodies for the past 27 years and was given Padma Shri in January this year.