On July 6, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered First Information Report (FIR) against seven persons over allegations of forceful conversion of two siblings to Islam in the Malda district of Bengal.
The probe agency conducted a preliminary enquiry and a report containing the result of the enquiry was submitted before the High Court at Calcutta on May 10, 2023. The High Court has directed CBI to register a regular case in the matter under appropriate sections of law.
The FIR reads that Buddhu Mandal and Gaurang Mandal are real brothers. Buddhu Mandal is illiterate and married to Parbati Mandal. Gauranga Mandal has studied up to class V and is married to Kalabati Mandal. They are permanent residents of the village Kismat Madanpur in Malda district. They are labours by profession and work as helpers to Mason.
On 24 November 2021, they were gone missing after they went to work. Their family members filed a missing complaint at Mothabari Police Station. A sub-inspector posted at Mothabari police station informed the family that Gauranga Mandal and Buddhu Mandal have converted to Islam and have gone to Sujapur village to offer Namaz. One civic volunteer, Habib Sk, snatched the complaint from Kalabati Mandal and tore it.
The wives filed complaints in the local police station and both the brothers were recovered from the residence of Kurshid Sekh by the Police. They were brought to the Kaliachak police station. The family members of both brothers were informed by the police that they would be produced before Malda Court the next day.
They were produced before SDO Court in the evening by police where a good number of members of the Muslim community including Khurshid Sekh, Nazu Sekh and Barkatti Sekh were present. After the Court proceedings, both brothers were swayed away by the Muslim community.
It further revealed that Gauraga Mandal escaped from the Muslim community’s clutches and returned to his home on the night of March 21, 2022. He was frightened and shared the ordeal with his wife, other family members and neighbours who came to see him.
Gauraga Mandal disclosed that he was forced to eat beef, to slaughter the cows and has been converted to Islam forcefully. It was also informed that drugs were being administered to him through injections regularly. He was not willing to convert to Islam. Khurshid Sekh and others pointed guns at him and threatened him with bombs.
He further disclosed that in order to save his life, he reluctantly under pressure and coercion converted to Islam and one Maulana (religious cleric) made him read Kalma (to bear witness there is no god Besides Allah) in the residence of Khurshid Sekh where he was confined and his movements were restricted. He requested his wife and other family members to shift him to a safer place.
Later, he was again swayed away by the Muslim community and since then they have been isolated from their family members.
[with inputs from ANI]
