Several suspended Hindu police officers have made some really serious allegations against their superior officials ADG Zaki Ahmed and IPS Shafiq Ahmed. They have alleged that the two top police officials, posted in PTC (Police training centre) Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, have been using their position and power to harass and discriminate against the Hindu cops. They have urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to step in and launch an investigation into the same.
Hindu officers are forced to cook meat, suspended and harassed if they refuse: Sitapur cops accuse IPS Shafiq Ahmed of discrimination
The Hindu police personnel who have been suspended alleged that IPS Shafiq Ahmed, who has been deployed in PTC for the past six years, has been harassing Hindu employees ceaselessly. IPS Safiq Ahmed allegedly forces Hindu officers to cook meat, and those who refuse are suspended and subjected to harassment, according to suspended officers.
The suspended officers even alleged that there had been an extremely hostile environment fostered against the Hindu personnel ever since ADG Zaki Ahmed was posted at PTC Sitapur. They said that ADG Zaki Ahmed has provided open and unfettered protection to Muslim police officers while subjecting Hindu officers to harassment, torture and suspension.
Notably, 53 Hindu employees had also made similar accusations while ADG Zaki Ahmed was posted in Kanpur, which prompted the PMO to launch an investigation into the ADG.
Meanwhile, ADG Zaki Ahmed has refuted the allegations. The senior police officer, who spoke off camera, said that all the allegations meted out at him are baseless. “I have not yet been asked for any clarification in any matter,” said Ahmed.
Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manavjeet Singh Dhillon, who came under fire on Thursday for equating the PFI to the RSS, claimed on Friday that his comments had been ‘wrongly interpreted’. “It is impossible to compare one organization to another. The meaning of my comment was misinterpreted, which is incorrect,” Dhillon said.
The senior police officer’s response came just one day after the Bihar Police issued him a show-cause notice for comparing the RSS to the PFI. The show-cause notice was issued by Jitendra Singh Gangwar, the ADGP for law and order, and SSP Dhillon was given 48 hours to respond. The ADGP had particularly asked Dhillon to explain why he had linked the RSS to the PFI, which caused a commotion.
Further, a day after the BJP leaders harshly criticized the comparison, Dhillon issued a statement on July 15 and said that his earlier statement was based on documents and interrogation of persons arrested from Phulwasharif. “A journalist asked me during the press briefing about the modus operandi of persons arrested from Phulwasharif. In the documents procured from the location and interrogation reports in writing as well as recording the modus operandi was mentioned similar to an organization, using its name”, he said.
“The documents and interrogation reports have even been submitted with the court as well. There was no motive to compare the two organizations. It was selective interpretation”, he was quoted. Dhillon yesterday sparked outrage by comparing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Shakha to a Popular Front of India (PFI) training camp where anti-India activities were being planned. “..Their modus operandi was to act like an RSS Shakha where lathi training is given…they would call them for physical training but also brainwash & radicalize them”, he had said on July 14 while giving details about the anti-India activities of the accused.
#WATCH | “They used to mobilize youth from mosques & madrasas towards radicalization. Their modus operandi was to act like an RSS Shakha where lathi training is given…they would call them for physical training but also brainwash & radicalize them,” says SSP Patna, Manavjit Singh pic.twitter.com/F6U1wZOwC1
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) had endorsed the SSP, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had condemned Dhillon’s remarks, seeking an apology or his resignation from the Indian Police Service (IPS). The RJD has backed Dhillon’s statement, saying that the senior superintendent of police in Patna was correct regarding Sangh’s tactic of spreading misinformation and hate in the garb of physical training and rioting.
It is important to note that while RSS trains its members to use a stick, PFI, in its recent vision document, has spoken about arms training to teach “coward Hindus” a lesson, spoken about the murder of Hindus and Hindu leaders, and about establishing an Islamic government in India by 2047. Also, one of the documents named ‘India vision 2047’ that was recovered by the Bihar Police from the accused on July 11 talks about ‘subjugating coward majority community and bringing back the glory.
According to the Police, the document is very objectionable and talks about the ‘rule of Islam in India’. “PFI sure that even if 10% of whole Muslim population gather behind it, PFI will conquer frightened majority group and restore the glory,” Kumar continued, quoting an excerpt from an eight-page lengthy paper titled ‘India Vision 2047’.
Reports mention that so far, the Police have arrested five Islamists named Md Jalaluddin, Athar Parvez, Marguv Ahmad Danish alias Tahir, Arman Malik, and Shamim Malik for planning anti-India activities in Patna. The case has however been registered against 26 people. The police have launched a massive manhunt to nab the accused. The investigations are underway.
On Friday (July 15), the Special Investigation Team that has been probing the allegations of evidence fabrication in the 2002 Gujarat riots case informed an Ahmedabad sessions court that a political conspiracy against Narendra Modi was hatched on the behest of former Congress leader Ahmed Patel.
As per reports, the SIT has accused ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, former DGP R B Sreekumar and ‘activist’ Teesta Setalvad of falsely implicating the then Gujarat government and CM Narendra Modi in the riots case.
The Special Investigation Team opposed the bail applications filed by Setalvad and informed that she received ₹5 lakhs from Ahmed Patel. The money was reportedly handed over to the ‘activist’ by one of the witnesses, who was presented in court by the SIT.
Screengrab of the news report, image via Twitter/ Nandita Thakur
In an affidavit, it further stated, “Two days later, they met at the Circuit House at Shahibaug in Ahmedabad, where she received Rs 25 lakh more from Patel. This amount was not for relief work, as relief activity was carried out by Gujarat Relief Committee. There were many other political leaders in the meeting.”
The SIT highlighted how Teesta Setalvad met Ahmed Patel along with Sanjiv Bhatt at his residence in New Delhi, four months after the riots. It noted how the so-called activist visited relief camps within a week of the 2002 Godhra carnage.
Congress govt and political ambitions of Teesta Setalvad – Padma Shri for falsely implicating Narendra Modi
The Special Investigation Team pointed out that Teesta Setalvad was felicitated with Padma Shri by the then UPA government in 2007 for her role in malicious and vexatious prosecution.
The ‘activist’ wanted to exploit the deadly Gujarat riots to achieve her political ambition of becoming a Rajya Sabha member. She was reportedly miffed when Bollywood bigwigs such as Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi were given preference over her.
“Shabana and Javed Miyan-Bibi are to be given a chance? Why am I not being made a member of Rajya Sabha?” inquired Teesta Setalvad. The SIT remarked that the activist tried to destabilise the Gujarat government, as evident from her statement to the media.
She has infamously claimed in 2006 that the State government would be forced to resign within 3 days, following the exhumation of the dead body of riot victims in Panchmahal.
Tutoring victims to falsely implicate the Gujarat government
Teesta Setalvad also helped Qutubuddin Ansari become the ‘face‘ of the 2002 Gujarat riots. She used his image to collect funds and portray the State in a bad light.
“Qutubuddin Ansari stated that when he became aware of the political and financial misuse of his image, he returned to Gujarat,” the SIT stated. Setalvad also tried to trick the father of deceased BJP leader Haren Pandya, Vithalbhai, to join her NGO named Citizen for Justice and Peace (CJP).
“She got a complaint prepared at advocate Sohail Tirmizil’s office for Vithalbhai, but he refused to put in his signature because several innocent persons had been mentioned in it as accused,” the SIT remarked.
The Special Investigation Team busted claims of Teesta Setalvad wherein she denied tutoring the wife of Ehsan Jafri aka Zakia Jafri.
Allegations of Fund misappropriation
The Special Investigation Team, probing allegations of fabrication of evidence, highlighted how Teesta Setalvad had been using funds collected in the name of riots for personal use.
A man named Firzokhan Pathan, who lived in Gulbarg society, had filed a First Information Report (FIR) against her in connection to the matter. He claimed that she siphoned off ₹63 lakhs and ₹88 lakhs collected by CJP and Sabrang Trust respectively, which was collected to rehabilitate residents of Gulbarg society and create a museum for them.
The Case so far
On June 26, Teesta Setalvad was brought to Ahmedabad via road by Gujarat Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS). According to journalist Ashlin Mathew, the ‘activist’ was first taken to SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad for a Covid-19 test.
She informed that Teesta Setalvad will be presented before a magistrate, following her medical test. Reportedly, the activist had asked the ACP to allow her to present her case before the magistrate.
She dubbed her arrest as a case of ‘kidnapping’ and claimed that she was not served any notice. At the conclusion of her medical test, Testa Setalvad addressed the media and said, “They have done my medical. I have a big bruise on my hand, this is what the ATS did to me. They are taking me to the magistrate’s court.”
On July 2, the Ahmedabad Metropolitan court sent her to 14 days of judicial custody.
A show of the so-called comedian Munawar Faruqui scheduled in Pune for 15th and 16th July 2022 was cancelled after a Hindu organization called the Jai Shri Ram Sena gave a memorandum to Pune’s commissioner of police asking to cancel the show. The Jai Shri Ram Sena also warned that if the shows were not cancelled, they would be holding protests. After this memorandum, Munawar Faruqui shared a post from his Instagram handle saying that the Pune show was cancelled for some reason. The show was organized at Jawaharlal Nehru memorial hall in Pune.
In the memorandum submitted to the commissioner of police, the Jai Shri Ram Sena organization said, “We are an organization named Jai Shri Ram Sena Sanghatan, working towards the welfare of underprivileged Hindus. We are writing to inform you that Munawar Faruqui, a self-proclaimed comedian from Gujarat and an accused in an ongoing criminal case lodged for his offensive speech against Hindu deities is visiting Pune on 15th July 2022 for performing his Talk Show titled ‘Dongri to Nowhere’ (a name inspired from most wanted criminal Dawood Ibrahim’s biography Dongri to Dubai).”
It further said, “Munawar Faruqui’s sense of humour can be detailed in gist as follows: He asked farmers to grow weed. He made fun of NRC by making a song. In this song, he has associated NRC with the Delhi riots by naming the song as NRC and Delhi riots song. He specializes in insulting Hindu gods. He insulted Lord Ram and Goddess Sita.”
It is notable that on 1st January 2021, in a show held at Indore, Munawar Faruqui insulted Lord Ram and Sita. A case was registered against him by the Madhya Pradesh police under 295A, 298, 269, 188, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. He was also arrested and later released on bail.
The Jai Shri Ram Sena organization gave a memorandum to Pune’s commissioner of police. Image Source: Instagram handle of @jsrspune
The memorandum further said, “Mr. Faruqui is presently released on bail. However, he is not acquitted of the charges. When there is an ongoing case against him for committing the crime of hateful speech against Hindu gods, we do not surmise that an opportunity to commit more crimes by Mr. Faruqui should be allowed. Every citizen in India has specific fundamental duties and the states must ensure peace and harmony amongst all religious groups by protecting them from negative forces. We bring to your kind notice that this Talk Show ‘Dongri to Nowhere’ is planned propaganda to mock Hindu gods and goddesses as evident in previous programs of Munawar Faruqui. It is a serious matter of hate speech and hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus. Mr. Faruqui whilst not having any knowledge about the Hindu scriptures or Hindu dharma, is influencing a negative and offensive view of the most respected Hindu dharma, without any basis. There is enough proof and evidence of hurting religious sentiments by the lead of the show Munawar Faruqui.”
The memorandum was signed by Ramdoot Gaurav Chaubey who concluded the letter by saying, “In light of the seriousness of the matter, I would like to request your support to cancel the Talk Show ‘Dongri to Nowhere’ and restrict such self-proclaimed comedians from insulting and hurting religious sentiments of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Kindly take note of this matter and hope to see a definitive positive step being taken by your good self in ensuring the protection of civil rights of people for the avoidance of any form of disruption of the public peace as a result of the Talk Show.”
Ramdoot Indrajit Deshmukh (Pune City President), Ramdoot Ram Salunke, Ramdoot Gaurav Chaubey, and Ramdoot Prateek Sharma (Pune City Coordinator) submitted this memorandum to Pune’s commissioner of police. While submitting the memorandum, the members of the Jai Shri Ram Sena organization told police that Munawar Faruqui has a history of insulting Hindu deities in the name of comedy. They urged the police to cancel the show because there could be a law and order problem if Munawwar Faruqui’s show hurts the religious sentiments of people.
Munawar Faruqui informed his followers on Instagram that his shows in Pune are canceled. Image Source: Instagram handle of @jsrspune
The police received the memorandum and after some time, the so-called comedian Munawar Faruqui shared an update from his Instagram handle in which he said, “Friends, the Pune shows of today and tomorrow are cancelled for some reasons. I am really sorry.”
Munawar Faruqui had to face a massive outrage from Hindus after his insulting remarks on the Hindu deities. His shows were cancelled one after the other at various locations like Bengaluru, Goa, Gujarat, Chandigarh, Kolkata, etc.
In Bangladesh, Muslim mob vandalised a temple, a grocery store and several houses belonging to members of the Hindu community in the Sahapara area of Lohagara, Narail, reports The Daily Star. The police said that a Facebook post by an 18-year-old triggered the mob, who went on a rampage after the Jumma Namaz on Friday (July 15).
The mob, at first, threw stones after which they broke into the Sahapara temple and broke the furniture kept inside the premises. They attacked and vandalised a grocery store belonging to the father of the teenager who published the Facebook post that supposedly hurt their sentiments. The irate Muslim mob then went on to vandalise the Hindu teenager’s house and several others in the vicinity.
It took until late at night for the Bangladeshi police to get things under control, who used tear gas and fired empty shells to disperse the angry mob.
According to reports, none of the attackers has yet been booked nor any sort of action has been taken against the Ismalists, however, the police have gone ahead and arrested the Hindu youth’s father from his house later in the evening. The youth, Akash Saha, son of Ashok Saha of Sahapara, who allegedly wrote the post managed to flee the area.
Azgar Ali, the Upazila nirbahi officer, and Haran Chandra Paul, officer-in-charge of Lohagara Police Station, visited the village later in the evening to take stock of the situation. They said that extra police forces had been deployed in the area to prevent further violence.
Speaking about the incident, Narail Superintendent of Police Prabir Kumar Roy said, “We’re investigating the incident. Those responsible for the violence will face action. The situation is normal for now.”
Hindus living under constant threat in Bangladesh
Attacks on the minorities in Bangladesh have continued unabated. In the month of April this year, a Hindu teacher in Munshiganj, Bangladesh, has been arrested after several students protested against him over charges of defaming the Prophet Muhammed and insulting Islam during science classes. According to reports, the incident occurred at Binodpur Ram Kumar High School in Munshiganj. A complaint was registered against Hridoy Chandra Mondal, upon which the police took action and arrested him.
Mondal’s family had alleged that they are being harassed and ostracised by the community following the allegations against him. Even his son had stopped going to school because of social harassment.
In fact, the above incident is only one of several such cases of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh by Islamists. In a Muslim-majority nation where they constitute less than 10% of the total population, Hindus remain vulnerable to attacks by radical Islamic terrorists. Opindia has documented 100s of such cases of persecution and ill-treatment meted out to the minority community. Given Bangladesh’s track record of human rights violations, attacks on Hindus remain a routine affair.
Last year, while blaming the Hindu community for the desecration of the Quran, the Islamists in Bangladesh had gone on a rampage during the Durga Puja festival. They attacked the Ram Thakur Ashram and vandalised 10 temples and puja pandals including the ones in Mongola, Nabadurga, Bijoya, Trishul and Koatbari Puja Pandal. About 20 houses were attacked in Nalchira, Chayanibazar, Begumgonj, Choumohoni and Sonaimuri. At the same time, 9 temples and puja pandals were vandalised at Choumohoni in Noakhali.
Today almost all media houses reported a strange ruling by Madras High Court in a divorce case. According to the reports, the High Court said that removal of Mangalsutra by wife is mental cruelty of the highest order for a husband. However, this claim is completely wrong, and while the court had mentioned the matter of removal of mangalsutra, the court didn’t say that it constitutes mental cruelty.
Several media houses, including NDTV, Indian Express, India TV, Business Today, ABP News, Jagaran etc had published the story with almost identical headlines, which claimed that the Madras High Court has ruled that the removal of Thali or Mangalsutra by wife is mental cruelty of highest order. While most of the media houses published the same PTI story, others were by individual media houses.
Screenshot of some of media reports
The reports said that a division bench of Justices VM Velumani and S Sounthar granted bail to a man while making the said observation. The PTI report carried by several media houses quoted the court as saying, “Thali around the neck of a woman was a sacred thing which symbolises the continuance of married life and it is removed only after the death of the husband. Therefore, its removal by the petitioner/wife can be said to be an act which reflected mental cruelty of the highest order as it could have caused agony and hurt the sentiments of the respondent.”
However, the report mentions that it is a quote from a difference division bench made in a difference case in 2017. The court in the current case had merely quoted the earlier judgement, as is the practice, and the High Court has not made the same observations in the current case. But the headlines used in the case does not mention this, and suggest that the comments on Mangalsutra were made in the current case only.
In fact, in the current case, some of the other acts of the wife has been identified as mental cruelty on the husband by the court. The High Court order says that the wife had suspected the character of her husband, and used to visit his workplace and create scenes there using filthy language and alleging relations with his female colleagues. The woman in her pleadings had also alleged that her husband was having illegal intimacy with other working women.
However, the woman could not name any woman who was in alleged illegal relation with her husband. Moreover, it was established that the woman had visited the medical college where her husband is a professor, and had scolded him using filthy language making the allegations in front of staff and students. The court terms this behaviour as mental cruelty by her on her husband.
“Certainly this act of the respondent would amount to mental cruelty within the meaning of Section 13(1)(ia) of Hindu Marriage Act as explained by the Apex Court in the case law,” the court said.
On the removal of the Thali Chain or the Mangalsutra by the woman, the court observed that while it is treated as an unceremonious act, it can’t be the basis of divorce. “We don’t say for a moment that removal of thali chain per se sufficient to put an end to the marital knot,” the High Court bench said.
However, the court added that is one of the pieces of evidence pointing out the intention of the woman, saying that the act of “removal of thali chain at the time of separation coupled with various other evidences available on record, compel us to come to a definite conclusion that the parties have no intention to reconcile and continue the marital knot”.
While making this observation, the court had cited an earlier verdict of a division bench of the same court in a similar case, where the bench had said that removal of Thali Chain or mangalsutra by a wife can be termed as Mental Cruelty of highest order.
The Madras High Court had made comments in a judgement passed in November 2016, where the court had said, “From the materials available on record, it is also seen that the petitioner has removed the “thali” (Mangalsutra) and it is also her own admission that she has kept the same in Bank locker. It is known fact that no Hindu married woman would remove the “thali” at any point of time during the lifetime of her husband. “Thali” around the neck of a wife is a sacred thing which symbolises the continuance of married life and it is removed only after the death of husband. Therefore, the removal of “thali” by the petitioner / wife can be said to be an act which reflected mental cruelty of highest order as it could have caused agony and hurted the sentiments of the respondent.”
Therefore, it makes it clear that the Madras High Court has not made the comments in the current case, but it was made six years ago by a different bench of the same court. Moreover, in the current case, the High Court has said that making baseless allegations of infidelity against husband and creating disturbances at his workplace on the allegation constitutes mental cruelty.
While the mainstream media houses picked the wrong comment of the High Court for headlines, legal news portals like Livelaw and Bar and Bench had used the correct angle while reporting the judgement.
Death threats to people supporting Nupur Sharma on social media still continue. A case has appeared in the Umra area of Surat city in Gujarat, where a young businessman received death threats for supporting Nupur Sharma on social media. An FIR has been registered in the Umra police station, and the police have arrested three persons in the case.
The complainant youth runs an amusement park in the city. A picture of former Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma was uploaded on the Instagram page of the park. After this, the youth received death threats from seven persons. Initially, the youth ignored these threats but as the threats continued, he contacted the police station and told the officials about the threats. The police initiated the procedure to file an FIR and arrested three youths.
The arrested accused are identified as Mohammad Ayan Atashbajiwala, Rashid Bhura, and a woman named Aliya Mohammad. All the arrested threateners are residents of Surat. They were charged under sections 504 (insult with intent to cause a breach of peace) and 506, 507 of the Indian Penal Code (criminal intimidation).
According to the FIR, a picture of Nupur Sharma was posted on the Instagram handle of the amusement park by the team handling its social media marketing. However, the youth immediately deleted the picture and apologized. But the arrested three accused and four others issued death threats to the young businessman. They messaged him on Instagram asking whether he wanted to live in Surat or not. Inspector JR Chaudhary of the Umra police station said that the police are looking for the other four accused.
Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, Umesh Kolhe in Amravati, killed over supporting Nupur Sharma
The threats to the Gujarat businessman come on the heels of the murders of at least two men, who were hacked to death by Islamists for extending their support to Nupur Sharma after being relentlessly hounded for her comments on Prophet Muhammad. Islamists ran amok across the country, indulging in violence, vandalism and issuing “sar tan see juda” threats to Nupur Sharma and those who supported her. Many people supporting Sharma on social media received death threats from Islamists. A Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur was beheaded. Similarly, a chemist Umesh Kolhe in Amravati was also killed over extending support to Nupur Sharma.
A day after the 2 individuals were arrested for indulging in anti-India activities, the Bihar Police revealed on Friday that one more accused named Marguv Ahmad Danish alias Tahir was arrested in Patna in the Bihar terror module case. Senior Superintendent of Police of Patna, Manavjit Singh Dhillon confirming the arrest said that the accused is a resident of Phulwarisharif and was associated with the Ghazwa-e-Hind group.
SSP MS Dhillon also added that Tahir worked in Dubai from 2006-2020. “We intercepted phone number & found anti-national content. The arrested person made 2 WhatsApp groups that were created through a Pakistan number and he was made admin. It had many people from gulf countries. Another group was made in January and had Bangladeshi people”, he added on July 15.
Arrested person made 2 WhatsApp groups that was created through Pakistan number & he was made admin. It had many people from gulf countries. Another group was made in January & had Bangladeshi people: SSP Patna MS Dhillon pic.twitter.com/4J1rvKwFU8
Further giving the details, the SSP said that the claimed groups were distributing anti-national content and instigating people along with pro-terrorism posts related to Kashmir. “They had plans to join the direct jihad in 2023”, SSP Dhillon said. Yesterday, the Police revealed to have busted a terror module that planned to attack the event that witnessed the presence of PM Modi on July 12.
Screenshot from Twitter
The Police arrested 2 individuals identified as Md Jalaluddin and Athar Parvez who had trained around 26 people for creating violence at PM Modi’s event in Patna on Tuesday. According to the reports, the Bihar Police busted the terror module on the evening of July 11 and arrested two accused, one of whom is a former police officer from Jharkhand. Meanwhile, the other is named Athar Parvez who is a former SIMI member and currently is a member of PFI and its political arm SDPI.
Reports mention that the two accused Md Jalaluddin and Athar Parvez had trained around 26 people for the terror mission and had taught them to use guns, swords, and knives. Bihar Police also discovered during the inquiry that Parvez was in frequent contact with members of many abroad organizations and was seeking foreign funding to carry out anti-India operations. Suspected terrorist training had also begun in Phulwari Sharif 15 days before PM Modi’s visit. An FIR has been filed against 26 individuals.
Pertinently, one of the documents named ‘India vision 2047’ that was recovered by the Bihar Police on July 11 talks about ‘subjugating coward majority community and bringing back the glory. According to the Police, the document is very objectionable and talks about the ‘rule of Islam in India’. “PFI sure that even if 10% of whole Muslim population gather behind it, PFI will conquer frightened majority group and restore the glory,” Kumar continued, quoting an excerpt from an eight-page lengthy paper titled ‘India Vision 2047’.
So far, the Police have arrested three Islamists named Md Jalaluddin, Athar Parvez, and Marguv Ahmad Danish alias Tahir for planning anti-India activities in Patna. The case has however been registered against 26 people. The police have launched a massive manhunt to nab the accused. The investigations are underway.
On 14th July 2022, a Muslim girl named Momin Khatun married a Hindu boy named Suraj in a temple in the Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh. The boy’s family members and the activists of Hindu organizations were present in the temple at the time of the marriage. The police have also met the newlyweds and assured them of security.
According to reports, the case pertains to the Atraulia police station area. Suraj hails from the Fatehgaon and Momin Khatun belongs to Haidarpur. They had an affair for about two years. When the families of both knew about their relationship, Momin Khatun’s family members asked Suraj to convert to Islam. Suraj refused to convert. Finally, Momin Khatun decided to marry Suraj at any cost, and therefore, both of them got married at a temple in Atraulia.
While talking to the media, Suraj said, “We are marrying at our own will and we are not under any kind of pressure.” Suraj’s family members were present on this occasion. The marriage was solemnized in a Hindu Vedic ritual.
According to reports, Momin Khatun said that it was her choice to marry Suraj and she wants to live her life happily. The SHO of the Atraulia police station Inspector Rudrabhan Pandey met the newlywed couple and said that there is no law and order problem in this case.
Gaurav Singh is the Azamgarh district office bearer of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. While speaking to OpIndia, he said, “Momin Khatun has come to the Sanatan Dharma. She is welcome. Momin’s family members tried to pressurize Suraj to embrace Islam. But, Momin herself was happy to convert to Hinduism and get married to Suraj. She is like a sister to us and we respect her.” According to a report by News18, considering the threats to the newlywed couple, Gaurav Singh took the responsibility for the safety and security of the couple.
Islamists outrage over inter-faith marriage
The fundamentalists did not like the inter-faith marriage of Suraj and Momin Khatun. In a 2.11-minute video by the YouTube channel Halate Hal TV, at around 1.18 minutes, the girl Momin Khatun is sermonized as she left the religion of Islam. Her act of marriage is termed a rebellion. Not only this, but the video discusses Quran and Hadiths and expresses displeasure at the girl’s father for not reining in the girl from marrying a Hindu.
Mohammad Afzal, a member of the Young Muslim Council NRI Committee, lambasted the girl for marrying outside her religion.
In a Facebook post, he wrote, “Even today, countless Muslims immersed in hell are not ready to wake up and even after seeing their girls go to hell in front of their eyes, they are neither awake nor faithful. Allah will award insults to such people who forget the decrees of their lord and choose the incorrect ways of shamelessness.”
A day after police brought Gauhar Chishti to Ajmer from Hyderabad, the Ajmer Superintendent of Police, Chuna Ram held a press conference and said that they would investigate all the possible angles in the case, including the Popular Front of India (PFI) links.
Gauhar Chishti, who had raised slogans of beheading against former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, has been arrested by the police from Hyderabad on 14th July 2022. On June 17, Gauhar Chishti had raised the objectionable slogans outside the Ajmer dargah.
Speaking about the arrest, the SP revealed that Chisti had tried to flee by jumping from the 1st-floor window when the Ajmer police with the help of Hyderabad police nabbed him. He was hiding in the house that belonged to his friend Mohammad Amanutallah alias Munnawar in Hyderabad since July 1. Munnawar ran a bangle shop in Hyderabad. The five-member team which went to nab Chisti had also arrested Mohammad Amanutallah. Chisti was brought back to Ajmer late on Thursday night and produced in court today.
The SP said that it would be only possible to pass on more information after the police interrogates Gauhar Chisti. Efforts are being made to establish whether Chisti has links with the PFI, said SP Chuna Ram.
Chishti also reportedly met one of the murderers of The Udaipur Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal. The Pakistan connection of the arrested accused Gauhar Chishti has also come to light. He was in regular touch with some people from Pakistan’s radical organization Dawat-e-Islami. This has come to light during the NIA probe of the Kanhaiya Lal murder case in Udaipur, and the Rajasthan ATS probe of the provocative sloganeering in Ajmer.
Gauhar Chishti is Khadim of the Ajmer dargah and he made provocative speeches and raised slogans outside the Ajmer Dargah to behead those who insult Prophet Mohammad. After that, he left Ajmer and was absconding since June 23.
It is notable that Gauhar Chishti was also arrested by the police two years ago for making a video of the CRPF camp, though he was let off at that time with a mere warning.
