By Sharat Pradhan,IANS,
Saleempur (Uttar Pradesh) : Barely 250 km from Lucknow, in this Uttar Pradesh village, an elderly Muslim couple is out on the street helpless after facing the wrath of an influential madrassa.
The madrassa has ordered a village-wide “embargo” on the couple’s shop because they expressed their inability to contribute Rs.500 towards its expansion.
With no money coming from the small wooden shop, their only source of income, 65-year-old Moinuddin and his equally old and frail wife Mariam were forced to plead for help from the villagers.
What has made kept people of Muslim-majority Saleempur in Lakhimpur-Kheri district obey the order is a fine of Rs.500 imposed by the madrassa on violators.
“We are currently expanding this madrasa for the good of the villagers. We had requested every family to contribute Rs.500 each. Everyone happily did, except Moinuddin and Mariam, who told us they will not pay,” Mukhtar Ansari, the head of the madrassa, told IANS.
“There was no other alternative for us except to boycott them socially,” he said.
Ansari added: “When a villager does not want donate even Rs.500 for a noble cause, then he has no business to avail the benefits of the society around him. That is why we have given a call for their complete boycott and a fine on violators.
“I am glad that people of the village believe in us and have stopped any kind of interaction with the couple. No Muslim in the village even talks to them now”, he claimed.
“I don’t accept Moinuddin’s explanation that he can’t pay Rs.500,” Ansari said.
The couple used to sell pan-masala, biscuits, sweets and similar articles to make a living.
“How can we donate that much money when we hardly make more than Rs.20-30 a day,” Mariam lamented.
She said the two managed to survive just over a week without the income from the shop.
“Since we live out of our daily earnings, we have not been able to cook any food since the order was announced. Someone (from the madrasa) is always keeping a watch on the shop,” she added.
“We are grateful to the a benevolent Sikh family who gives us food,” Mariam said.
When contacted, District Magistrate Sameer Verma said: “I came to know about this whole episode today (Friday). I have got it sorted out.”
Asked if any action was initiated against the culprits, he explained the the issue is “more of a social one and not a violation of law”.