Jag Mohan Thaken –India
Some are born to serve the society; some to preserve the society and some to ‘swerve’ the society. But he has all these qualities.
When due to the fear of the spread of Corona, everyone was hesitant even to attend the funeral of his nears and dears. Then this angel was performing the last rites of corona affected dead bodies without any selfish interest and facilitated the dignified last rites of more than 4,200 COVID-19 victims. Not only this, he has cremated with dignity over 70,000 people to date.
He is no other than Padam Shri humanitarian Crusader Jitender Shunty.
Now, the Punjab Government has appointed Padma Shri awardee Jitender Singh Shunty, founder of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sewa Dal, as the new member of the Punjab Human Rights Commission.
Widely respected for his humanitarian work, Mr. Shunty is known for performing the last rites of unclaimed dead bodies with dignity and compassion. In 2021, he was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Hon’ble President of India for his remarkable social service. He is also known for donating blood over a hundred times and has been featured in the acclaimed documentary “Angels for the Dead.”
For more than 25 years, Mr. Shunty has been recognised internationally as a pioneer in protecting the human rights of dead bodies, a crucial yet often overlooked part of the “Right to Life.” Through his NGO, he has provided funeral services, corpse vans, refrigerated mobile morgues, cremations, and immersion of ashes in the Ganga for abandoned and underprivileged individuals. He has facilitated the dignified last rites of over 70,000 people, including more than 4,200 COVID-19 victims.
Jirender Shunty has also been a defender of patients’ rights, offering free ambulance services, rescue operations, and emergency aid. He has intervened in multiple cases where private hospitals illegally detained patients or bodies due to unpaid bills. As a member of the National Human Rights Commission’s Core Group of Human Rights Defenders, he worked to ensure free last rites for unclaimed bodies across India and proposed the creation of a counter-terrorism human rights response unit.
At numerous disaster sites, including the Gujarat earthquake, the 2004 tsunami, Nepal earthquake, Chennai and Kerala floods, Jitender Shunty led frontline humanitarian operations, providing medical care, rescue services, WASH facilities, and dignified management of the deceased.
Jitender Shunty with blood donors- photo credit FB page- Jitender Shunty.
Jitender Shunty helping flood-hit people-Photo credit, his FB page.
A world-record blood donor with 106 donations, Mr. Shunty has organised over 200 blood donation camps and has been celebrated nationally and internationally for his lifelong service to humanity. His appointment marks a significant step for Punjab in strengthening a compassionate and rights-focused human rights framework.
As per Wikipedia, Jitender Singh Shunty founded the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Seva Dal in 1996. He started his career in politics as an independent councillor from Jhilmil ward in Delhi. However, he became a part of the BJP in 2008 and contested the councillor elections from Jhilmil ward of the East municipal corporation and won the elections. He contested his first Delhi Assembly election in 2013 and won from the Shahdara constituency with 45,364 votes.
Jitender Singh Shunty received India’s prestigious award— Padma Shri for his exemplary social services, but he dedicates his Padma Shri Award to fellow frontline workers. Once Mr. Shunty said, “My duty and my religion is to send off with dignity the person who has been abandoned by the world. I will continue to perform this duty until my death”. He is so engrossed in his dedication that he tweeted on February 10,2025 on his X account, “When I get free time, I’ll think about myself… I still have to wipe away the tears of many people…”.
What an imitable personality he is!