In Ramgarh, a district located in Jharkhand, an organisation comprised of Muslim youths known as Adam Sena has imposed Sharia law in the local villages, as per reports. Under this, Muslim girls are prohibited from interacting with non-Muslims and are required to wear burqas. Those who dissent face threats of rape, murder, or expulsion from the community by members of Adam Sena. Despite these alarming developments, police authorities have categorised the situation as a mere land dispute and are saying that a thorough investigation will be done in this case.
Attempted rape, land grabbing, and Sharia
According to reports, this case is from the Rajrappa police station area, where the complainant girl has pleaded in the police station that she has a threat to her life from Salman and Ahmed, the alleged leaders of Adam Sena. The girl alleged that in December 2023, one Sabir Ali from the same village attempted to rape her. She said that she somehow escaped.
When the victim girl made noise and called people for help, Sabir Ali Sabir Ali and his family members beat the girl. A complaint in this regard is registered with the police. The victim alleges that all this is being done so that she and her family leave the village and their land is grabbed.
Adam Sena pressuring victim to withdraw the complaint
On 17th February 2024, the female victim once again visited the police station regarding the issue. She lodged a complaint stating that Sabir Ali, who had recently been released on bail, along with his accomplices, Salman and Ahmed, were intimidating her to retract her case. She said in the complaint that these individuals were pressuring her to withdraw the charges.
The girl said, “They both told me, ‘We don’t accept administrative action, Sharia law prevails here.’ These people beat me and the whole family and also threw our belongings out of the house and locked the house.”
Rape and death threats
The victim girl alleged that some people associated with Adam Sena threatened her and asked her to make a ‘compromise’ in the case. Ahmed Ansari threatened by abusing on the phone. She said that she came back to the ancestral village with two other siblings after the death of their father. However, the disputes related to their ancestral land surfaced at that time.
Now, Adam Sena has enforced Sharia law, instructing her to wear veils and refrain from communicating with individuals from other communities, as per the victim. The victim said in her complaint that her family is being harassed and if the administration does not take action against Adam Sena, she will commit suicide in front of SP’s residence.
Police say Adam Sena does not exist
Rajrappa police station in-charge Navin Prakash Pandey said in a conversation with OpIndia, “This whole dispute is about land. We are investigating the matter. We have also talked to the Sarpanch and others. The Adam Army, which is being named, is not active anywhere in this area. Nor has any such complaint been received against it. The victim’s family earlier lived in Singrauli. After the father’s death, the girl has come to her ancestral village. At the same time, two FIRs have been registered so far in the land dispute with her uncle, which is in court.”