Members of the Muslim community stepped forward to perform the last rites of an elderly Hindu man in Nadia district on Sunday afternoon, after his family was left completely isolated following a longstanding neighbourhood dispute.

Asutosh Das Bairagya, 62, a farmhand by profession and a devout Vaishnav, died in the early hours of Sunday at Baliura village of Tehatta after a prolonged cardiac ailment.

With his elder son, Shyamaprasad Das Bairagya, 29, serving as a police constable in Diamond Harbour nearly 250 kilometres away from the village, Bairagya’s wife Kakali, 55, and younger son, Amit, 19, informed community members apparently seeking help for the last rites.

Despite repeated attempts, no one from the Hindu community in the locality came forward to assist them because of past "differences".

Local sources said Bairagya had been socially isolated by members of his own community following a disagreement over a Durga Puja subscription demanded by the local Puja club around two years ago.

As Bairagya's son didn't have a job then, the poor farm hand had expressed helplessness to pay Puja organisers the demanded sum, leading to a rift that continued even after his death, his kin said.

As hours passed and the body lay at home, Muslim youths of the village such as Raqibul Mondal, Amjad Ali Mondal and others came to know about the death and the isolation faced by the bereaved family.

They contacted Bairagya’s eldest son Shyamaprasad over the phone and began making arrangements for the last rites according to the family’s wishes.

They arranged bamboo sticks to build a structure to carry the deceased, decorated it with flowers, organised a vehicle to carry the body and took it to Ramnagar ghat in Plassey, where Bairagya was eventually buried.

Unlike cremation commonly observed in case of Hindus, some Vaishnav sects bury their dead.

Bairagya's son Shyamaprasad reached his village a few minutes before the final rites. Seeing the arrangements made by people from another faith, he stood stunned before breaking down in tears, overwhelmed by gratitude.

Baliura village has a mixed population, with around 70 Hindu families living amid a Muslim-majority area.

Residents said that the village has long been known for peaceful coexistence, shared social bonds and mutual respect across religious lines.

It was this spirit that compelled the Muslim community to act when silence prevailed elsewhere.

“We have lived together for generations and have never felt any division between the communities. A death in the village affects all of us,” said Raqibul Mondal.

“We were deeply hurt to learn that none from the Hindu families came forward. They know the rituals better than us, but since no one helped, we did whatever we could with sincerity and respect," he added.

Echoing the sentiment, Amjad Ali Mondal said: “We often hear about aggression related to religion in other places, but those things never shaped our lives here in this village. To us, everyone is a human being first. Religion is just an identity, like attire. Asutosh da (Bairagya) also was like that. Though he was a staunch Vaishnav, he respected all faiths and mingled with us on every occasion. We could not remain silent when he was denied dignity in death for such a trivial reason.”

After the burial at Ramnagar ghat in the presence of his son, Shyamaprasad spoke with visible emotion.

“There was a dispute between my father and some neighbours over a Puja subscription, but I never imagined they would bear that anger even after his death,” he said. “I am deeply grateful to our Muslim neighbours for what they did. Even without knowing our rituals fully, they ensured everything was done with dignity.”

Bairagya’s younger brother Kanailal, 60, also struggled to hold back tears.

“The respect shown to my elder brother by the Muslim community is beyond words,” he said. “In our moment of despair, our Muslim neighbours stood by us.”

Social activist and local historian in Nadia, Sanjit Dutta, said he was deeply moved by the incident

"At a time when religious fault lines often dominate public discourse, this quiet incident of solidarity stood out as a powerful reminder that humanity, empathy and shared neighbourly bonds can rise above division," the historian said.