Maulvi (cleric) Qari Shahnawaz regularly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl in Madhubani, Bihar. He used to make her swear on the Quran and warned that Allah would not forgive her if she told anyone. The Maulvi repeatedly raped the minor girl for more than a year. He would force the girl to stay back after class, stuff cloth in her mouth to muffle her screams, and commit the heinous act. The Maulvi also threatened her with a knife to stop her from speaking to anybody and hence she suffered in silence out of fear. However, her family members grew suspicious after she became 7 months pregnant and the matter came to light.
According to media reports, the case pertains to the Khutauna police station area of the Madhubani district where the accused, who is the head of a madrasa, was in charge of teaching the Quran, but instead chose to abuse a minor student in his class. Nobody was aware when his focus turned towards the 14 to 15-year-old girl and he made her an object of his malicious desire and lust while teaching religious verses. He used to stop her as other pupils left his class and raped her.
The mother of the underage girl stated that he scared the latter with the Quran and claimed that Allah would punish her if she informed anyone about his heinous act, in her complaint. The Maulvi frightened the girl with a knife as well. The family members noticed the visible changes in their daughter’s body and the shocking truth surfaced after an enquiry. The complainant disclosed that the perpetrator asked the adolescent’s father to send her to him as she was good at studies.
Nitish Kumar, the in-charge of the Khutauna police station, mentioned that a First Information Report has been registered and raids are being carried out to apprehend the offender. The horrifying development has angered the locals and they have demanded severe action against the cleric. The infuriated people have also locked the madrasa.
