Padma Shri awardee 'Chacha Sharif' grateful to PM Modi for honour

After receiving the Padma Shri Award on Sunday, Mohammad Sharif, who has performed last rites of 25,000 unclaimed bodies, said he was grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the honour.

Sharif, who is endearingly called "Chacha Sharif", said that he started the practice after his son was murdered 27 years ago and the family came to know of his death after over a month. The body had been disposed of as "unidentified".

"Twenty-seven years ago my son was murdered in Sultanpur. I got to know about it a month later. After that, I took up this practice (of performing the last rites of unidentified persons). So far, I have cremated 3,000 bodies of Hindus and buried 2,500 bodies of Muslims," Sharif told reporters after a Republic Day event in Ayodhya where he was felicitated.

"I would like to thank the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) for the honour. I will wish for his good health and prosperous life," he added.

The Padma awards are conferred in three categories -- Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri, second, third and fourth highest civilian honours of the country respectively, only after the Bharat Ratna.