Partially Blind Young Imam and Wife Brutally Slaughtered in Haryana

By Samiullah Khan

A partially blind young Imam, Hafiz Irfan, 25, and his disabled wife, Jasmine, have been brutally murdered in Manik Majara village of District Sonipat in Haryana.

Severely brutalised bodies of the couple were found in the Hujra [a residential room reserved for the imam] of the mosque in the morning, 8 September. There are rumours that efforts are being made to cover up the deaths as accidental.

Hafiz irfan who came from a very poor family background had been leading prayers in this mosque for the last five years. Villagers describe him as a very polite and friendly person who had never had any argument with anyone.

ٓInter-communal relations between in the village are described as normally good but one day before the murder arguments were reported to have arisen between some members of Hindu and Muslim communities over the wall of the mosque during which some youths had allegedly threatened the Imam with dire consequences.

This should be bone in mind that about a year ago an elderly Motakif [a person who spends the last ten days of Ramadan in the mosque] was also murdered inside the mosque. However, it would be too early to make further comments in this regard.

Since for the last few days some Muslim leaders have been trying to give an impression that Mohan Bhagwat and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar both are peace loving gentlemen and want to establish communal harmony in the country, let’s see if these two gentlemen will come out, condemn mob lynchings and Islamophobc killings like these. Let them prove that they really believe in peace and communal harmony otherwise all these high-level meetings between leaders will serve no purpose but will be share of waste of time.

Samiullah Khan is a young Urdu journalist, activist and General Secretary of Companions of Peace and Justice

Translated and slightly edited by Urdu Media Monitor from Samiullah Khan’s FB.