By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
Several dozen Muslims have fled their homes in a village in Jaisalmer district after they received death threats from the members of Rajput Community following the death of a Muslim musician.
The exodus of Muslims of Dantal village began after the murder of a 45-year-old folk singer Ahmad Khan. According to the police, Ahmad Khan was performing religious songs at a local village temple on September 27 following the tradition in the village Dantal. Khan came from a local folk artist community known as Langa Manganiyar.
While Khan was still performing, an exorcist or faith healer Ramesh Suthar kept telling Khan that he did not know how to play.
Girdhar Singh, SI at Phalsoond police station, said, “Suthar, who was drunk at the moment, broke the musical instruments of Khan and assaulted him. It left him injured.”
Singh said, “We do not know exactly what caused Khan’s death. Khan was a heart patient. He might have succumbed to the injuries or had a cardiac arrest, we can tell after the viscera report.”
Khan’s younger brother Suge Khan talked with media about the incident. He said, “Later that night, Suthar and other two men kidnapped my brother from his house.” Later, the family found the dead body of the Ahmad Khan outside of the house.
According to Suje Khan, the Rajput community threatened them and asked them not to lodge a police complaint regarding the incident. As per reports, the Suthar community, who work as carpenters, have close ties with the Rajput community.
Khan told media, “We got scared and buried the body quietly.” But with the help and support from relatives from neighbouring villages, the family was able to approach the police later.
When settlement at the Panchayat became ineffective, Ahmad’s family lodged a complaint. According to SI Girdhar Singh, Ramesh Suthar and his two brothers Shyam Lal and Tara Ram were booked under Sections 302 and 323 of IPC.
According to the locals, the Rajputs started threatening the Muslim residents that if they did not vacate the village, they would be murdered. This threat has caused an exodus of about 20 families, all Manganiyar Muslims, from Dantal to a nearby village.
Ramesh Suthar has been arrested and is in the police custody until October 10. The police are trying to convince the villagers to return to the village but there has been no development on that front yet.