Even though Ranchi police arrested three youths for allegedly assaulting and forcing Kashmiri trader Rizwan Ahmad Wani and others to chant Jai Shri Ram and Pakistan Murdabad, sources in the police said that the allegation made by him is far from reality. Sources in Jharkhand police aware of the matter and investigation so far said that Wani is misusing his Kashmiri identity and playing a victim card.
“Dispute indeed had taken place between Wani and arrested accused. But that was on the issue of wrong parking and driving. He might have been assaulted but it is wrong to say that Kashmiris were forced to chant Jai Shri Ram and Pakistan Murdabad. Using his Kashmiri identity Wani has sensationalised the matter and the rest was done by the media,” police sources not willing to be named told OpIndia.
Police insiders said CCTV footage of the incident is being looked into to establish the truth.
On November 27, Wani lodged an FIR at Doranda police station, claiming that he along with his two Kashmiri friends was on his way to Harmu locality to sell woollen clothes when a group of around 25 people surrounded them at Kadru bridge. Every winter Wani and a large number of Kashmiri traders visit Ranchi and different districts of Jharkhand to sell woollen clothes. They stay for months at rented houses. Wani is a native of Pahalgam in Kashmir.
Wani alleged that these people beat them up and forced them to chant Jai Shri Ram and raise Pakistan Murdabad slogans. He said that someone hit his head with an iron rod. But he survived the attack since he was wearing the helmet. He claimed that his bike was damaged and assailants looted cash, blankets, and documents from him.
On his complaint, police arrested Deepak, Tarun Kumar, and Arvind Kumar and forwarded them to the judicial custody. Wani and his friend who gave an interview to local media claimed that being Kashmiri they are discriminated against and tortured by some people.
Wani belongs to the same group of Kashmiri traders which on November 11 had lodged a similar complaint at Doranda police station. Complainant Bilal Wani and Sabir Batt alleged that they were beaten up and forced to chant Jai Shri Ram and raise anti-Pakistan slogan. In this case, the police arrested one Raj Kishore who is said to be addicted to drug.
Sources said that every year around 400 Kashmiri traders visit Ranchi to earn their livelihood and the majority of them stay in different localities of Doranda having Muslim dominance. “There is no history of even any local Muslim was forced to chant slogan Jai Shri Ram and or to say Pakistan Murdabad. A minor dispute was blown out of proportion,” sources said.
.@JharkhandPolice संज्ञान लें एवं दोषियों पर कड़ी करवाई करें।
— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) November 27, 2021
झारखण्ड में धार्मिक वैमनस्यता एवं भेदभाव के लिए कोई स्थान नहीं है। https://t.co/ifpzoihsPk
Officials are not willing to speak anything on this matter since Ranchi SSP S.K. Jha has formed a special team on the instruction of chief minister Hemant Soren to investigate both incidents.
