Despite Losing His Young Son in Riots, Maulana Imdadullah Rasheedi Refuses To Bear False Witness against the Accused
The
Accused Were Acquitted For Lack Of Clinching Evidence
Main
Points:
1. Maulana
Imdadullah Rasheedi's son had been killed in communal riots in 2018.
2. Maulana
Rasheedi had appealed to Muslims not to avenge his killing.
3. Pintu Yadav
and Vinay Tiwari had been arrested as the accused.
4. Maulana Rasheedi
refused to bear false witness against them.
5. The two
accused were acquitted by Asansol District Court.
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By
New Age Islam Staff Writer
28 March
2022
Maulana Imdadullah Rashidi (left) got one last gift from his son
Sibghatullah — his Madhyamik certificate
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Asansol in
West Bengal had witnessed a communal riot on the occasion of Ramnavmi in March
2018 in which some people from both the Muslim and Hindu community were killed
and property was destroyed. During the riots, Sibghatullah Rasheedi, the young
son of Maulana Imdadullah Rasheedi, the imam and preacher of Noorani Masjid was
abducted and killed by the rioters. This had caused widespread anger among the
Muslims of the Muslim majority area of South Asansol called Railpar. The
Muslims wanted to avenge Sibghatullah's death. But Maulana Imdadullah Rasheedi
despite his grief and pain, averted the worst by appealing to the Muslims not
to indulge in violence. He rode pillion on the bike of a well-wisher and went
round the locality appealing to people to maintain peace and calm. He said to
them that he did not want others to lose their innocent sons like he did and
threatened that if Muslims indulged in violence, he would leave the town. At
some places, he strongly rebuked those who were rumours.
His appeal
bore fruit and another round of rioting and violence was averted.
This was
possible because Maulana Rasheedi followed the Quranic principle that no
innocent person should be punished for the crime of others. The Quran says that
killing one innocent person was akin to killing the entire humanity and saving
an innocent person was akin to saving the entire humanity.
However,
two persons, Pintu Yadav and Vinay Tiwari had been arrested and made the
accused in the case. The case was heard for four years. On 26th of March 2022,
Maulana Imdadullah Rasheedi was to bear witness in the court. All eyes were on
him as his witness was important and could decide the fate of the two accused.
But what he said from the witness box not only surprised the judges and the
counsel’s but also showed his religious integrity and his strict adherence to
the teachings of the Quran and hadith. He said to the judge that he did not see
the accused kidnap and kill his son and so he could not bear false witness
against them. He said that it was the job of the police to arrest the real
culprits. There were ten other witnesses and they too refused to recognise the
accused as the killers or abductors of Sibghatullah.
The accused
therefore, were acquitted by the Additional District Judge. Reacting to Maulana
Rasheedi's statement, the advocate Swaraj Chattopadhyay said that during his
entire career spanning 48 years he had not seen a father refusing to bear
witness against the accused of his slain son.
Maulana
Imdadullah Rashidi’s son, 16, Sibtullah Rashidi martyred by Hindutva fanatics.
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According
to reports, before the witness, the relatives of both the accused had begged
for mercy for the accused and he had assured them that he will not bear false
witness against them since he had not seen them committing the crime. Maulana
Rasheedi had followed the injunction of the Quran:
"Those
who witness no falsehood and if they pass by futility they pass with
dignity."(Furqan:
72)
"Truly
Allah guides not one who transgresses and lies."(Ghafir; 28)
Definitely,
these injunctions of the Quran were in Maulana Rasheedi's mind. He showed to
the Muslims and to the world that a true believer does not leave the path of
truth even in the height of personal grief and loss and remembers another
Quranic principle that believers should not leave the path of justice in the
enmity of a people. He said that the culprit could go scot free in this world
but would not be able to escape God's punishment on the Day of Judgment.
However,
with the acquittal of the accused questions have been raised on how the police
handled the sensitive case. They could not reach the real culprits. Maulana
Imdadullah Rasheedi had helped the police and the administration to avert a
bigger tragedy. What did the police and the administration give him in return,
the people ask.
Maulana
Imdadullah Rasheedi has once again demonstrated the power of self-restraint and
his true religiosity in an age when even religious leaders falter when faced
with such testing circumstances. Four years ago, he had prevented the masses
from going berserk and indulge in wanton killing of innocent people. Praising
his self-restraint, Manoj Yadav, a local TMC leader had said in a programme
where Maulana Rasheedi was also present he feels guilty and had lamented the
growing communalism in the society and had suggested that as the communal
forces used the social media to create rift and spread hatred, the secular and
peace loving people should also use the social media to counter their
propaganda and spread the message of unity and harmony.
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