In 2022, India witnessed a perverted and dangerous form of Islamic outrage over so-called blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad by former Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma. The suspended BJP leader had made the allegedly controversial remarks about Prophet Muhammad and his wife Ayesha while responding to Islamist Taslim Ahmed Rahmani during a TV debate where Rahmani was repeatedly insulting the Shivling found at the Gyanvapi complex of Varanasi.
Beheading calls and death and rape threats issued to Nupur Sharma by Islamists had become a routine for a few weeks across the country. Violence and arson also emerged as a byproduct of the same. Several persons were killed by Islamists for merely extending support to Nupur Sharma on social media. A few months after this, as India sees the Basant Panchami of 2023, it is time to remember Haqiqat Rai, the first Hindu victim of the blasphemy law according to Sharia rule.
Haqiqat Rai Puri was born into a Khatri family in 1719 at Sialkot which is now in Pakistani Punjab. Lala Bhagmal Rai was his father’s name. Goran Devi was his mother. His was a rich family in Punjab that followed Vedic Sanatan Dharma. It is notable that Hindu Khatris were among the first to support Guru Nanak Singh at the time when he founded Sikhism. Khatris would often send their elder child to become a member of the fighters’ group in Sikhism specially established to protect Sanatan Hindu Dharma from the Islamic tyrants.
Haqiqat Rai Puri was a quick learner right from his childhood. He developed a keen interest in Hindu Dharmik books since he was 4 years old. Guru Har Rai Acharya Ji would teach her Hindu Dharmik scriptures which he quickly grasped. It was the teachings of his parents and master that made H/aqiqat Rai Puri a staunch devotee of Sanatan Dharma. He was married to Laxmi.
As the years passed by, he went on to complete his studies that he learned from his master. But, this was not sufficient for a person like him to make a living in those days. Persian was the official language of knowledge, administration, and communication in the Mughal rule. Therefore, to study Persian, Haqiqat Rai Puri was sent to a local Maulana where he was admitted with other Muslim students. At this time, he was just 12 years old.
According to those times, Muslim students used to abuse Hindu children and Hindu gods and goddesses and the child Haqiqat Rai would retaliate to them about this and defeat them in debate. One day, in the absence of the cleric, these Muslim students beat up the Haqiqat Rai. When the cleric inquired, they complained against Haqiqat Rai alleging that he had said bad things about Bibi Fatima. The cleric got angry. Haqiqat was taken in front of the qazi of the city. This incident took place in 1734.
In fact, it was the Muslim fellow students who after the Friday prayers started abusing Hindu Gods and Goddesses in front of Haqiqat Rai. They made fun of the goddesses Shri Ram and Durga. Haqiqat Rai was furious about this since his Muslim classmates had a habit of inciting him. He responded by giving facts about Bibi Fatima. Haqiqat Rai was a keen observer and used to interrogate Muslim clergy on their faith while they taught Persian and Islamic scriptures. Therefore he was already a target for these Muslim students.
It is notable that, Nupur Sharma had also made allegedly controversial remarks after TV debate panellist Taslim Ahmed Rehmani repeatedly insulted the Shivling found at the Gyanvapi complex in Varanasi. The similarities between the allegations of blasphemy, demands for beheading and death threats have not changed a bit across the centuries.
Haqiqat Rai was tried before Amir Beg who was the city administrator of Sialkot at that time. Qazi Abdul Haq argued in his court that the feelings of Muslims are hurt by the insulting remarks by Haqiqat Rai against Fatima. According to Sharia law, the punishment for this alleged offence was pouring hot oil on Haqiqat Rai. Haqiqat Rai’s parents wanted to save their child from this and offered to pay compensation for this punishment. But their plea was dismissed.
On the auspicious day of Basant Panchami, Qazi Abdul Haq said that Haqiqat Rai can be spared if he and his parents accept Islam. Haqiqat Rai did not agree with this and stood up to his faith in the Sanatan Dharma. He was brutally beaten and tortured by Islamists on the orders of the Qazi and Amir Beg, the city administrator of Sialkot. Haqiqat Rai still did not agree to convert to Islam. When Haqiqat Rai’s parents came to know about this condition, his parents also told him to stand by the Dharma and not to convert but face the tyrants bravely and set up an example.
After this, Haqiqat Rai was taken to Lahore where he was tried before Zakria Khan, then Governor of Lahore. He gave him the ultimate punishment for blasphemy that comes under the Sharia law, that is, stoning to death. Haqiqat Rai was stoned to death by an Islamist mob in Lahore. The brave kid embraced death with open arms but did not convert to Islam. He is identified as the first victim of the blasphemy law of Islamic Sharia.
Even after three centuries, in the so-called modern times, the mentality of supporting Sharia law prevails in the Indian subcontinent. Pakistan being an Islamic country and Bangladesh being a Muslim majority country, atrocities on non-Muslims in the name of blasphemy are regular incidents. Even in India, demands for Sharia-compliant blasphemy law were made after Nupur Sharma’s allegedly insulting comments against the Prophet Muhammad.
The Islamist mentality dates back to the seventh century. Millions were killed, converted, and persecuted during the repeated Islamic invasions of India. However, the first noted victim of the blasphemy laws of Sharia was Haqiqat Rai who laid down his life for Sanatan Dharma ion 1734 at the age of 15. He is remembered on the occasion of Basant Panchami. His Samadhi was in Lahore which was destroyed by Islamists after partition in 1947. An annual fare is still organized by locals. His another memorial is in the Hoshiyarpur district. There is a temple of Haqiqat Rai Puri in the Gurdaspur district’s Batala. The town also houses a temple of his wife Laxmi Devi.
