In a shocking development, six minor students from a madrasa in Ajmer were arrested on May 12, 2024, for the brutal murder of their mosque’s imam, Maulana Mohammad Mahir, aged 32. The incident took place on April 27, and the police have since recovered the mobile phone of the deceased and the rope used in the strangulation.
According to reports, the students initially provided a conflicting narrative, claiming that three masked men entered the madrasa, killed the imam, and threatened them into silence. However, upon further investigation, the Ajmer police special squad, led by SP Devendra Kumar Bishnoi, managed to uncover the truth.
Bishnoi revealed that the students were motivated to commit the crime due to the imam’s regular sexual abuse of the students. The imam, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, had been residing in the madrasa for eight years. One student, in particular, had been recently subjected to sexual abuse by Mahir, who then attempted to bribe the student for silence.
Enraged by the imam’s actions, the students decided to take matters into their own hands. On April 26, two days before the murder, the students purchased sleeping drugs from a medical shop. However, their plan was initially thwarted when the imam returned from his village in Uttar Pradesh and had already eaten dinner. Undeterred, the students offered him curd laced with the sleeping tablets, which eventually caused him to fall asleep.
Seizing the opportunity, the students retrieved a stick and rope from the storeroom and proceeded to beat the imam’s head with the stick. As he tried to stand up, they strangled him with the rope until he became unconscious. The students then fled the scene, only to be apprehended by the police later.
The incident came to light after a complaint was filed by Toshif Ashraf of the madrasa. The students’ actions have sparked a debate about the safety and protection of children in religious institutions, with many calling for stricter regulations and oversight.
