Cop apathy forcing Muslims to convert

Lucknow:  Twenty members of a Muslim family in Baghpat district have converted to Hinduism, saying that they were not getting justice for the murder of a family member.

On Monday, the family members submitted affidavits to the sub divisional magistrate (SDM) of Badaut town for registering their conversion.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) organized a ‘havan’ in their village on Tuesday to complete the conversion process. The family was also given Hindu names. The district magistrate has now ordered a high level inquiry into the incident. The family members claimed that when the murder took place, around 3000 Muslims were present but no one came forward to help them. The family said that this was reason enough for them to convert to Hinduism.

Talking to reporters on Tuesday, Akhtar Ali, the head of the family, said that in July this year, his son Gulshan Ali was found hanging from a clothes’ hanger in their shop.

It was obvious that Gulshan had been murdered earlier because he could not have died due to hanging from a clothes’ hanger. The police, however, registered a case of suicide and when the family approached senior officials, they got no reprieve. The police forced the family to bury the deceased.

The culprits also tried to intimidate and threaten the family that finally moved out of the house in Badarkha village and shifted to a relative’s home in another village.

“This was not an inter-faith matter. The accused are also Muslims but we got no justice because we are Muslims. The family, therefore, decided to convert to Hinduism and there is no pressure on us for conversion,” said Akhtar Ali. The family is now hopeful that they would get justice. and those responsible for Gulshan’s murder would be caught.