On Tuesday, July 16, a court in Jaipur acquitted Khadim Gauhar Chishti and six others in connection with raising the ‘Sar Tann Se Juda’ (STSJ) slogans outside the Ajmer Sharif Dargah against suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma. The case, which garnered significant attention, dates back to June 2022.
Gauhar Chishti, a Khadim of the Ajmer Dargah, threatened to behead those who insulted Prophet Mohammad.
This incident was captured on video and went viral on social media, leading to public outcry. Following the video’s spread, Chishti fled Ajmer and sought refuge in Hyderabad. The police later arrested him in July 2022, and he had been in jail since his arrest.
It is notable that Gauhar Chishti had previously encountered legal trouble. In 2020, he was arrested for making a video of a CRPF camp, although he was released with a warning at that time.
Chishti was particularly known for his incendiary actions in June 2022. A video surfaced showing him raising provocative slogans, including ‘Sar Tann Se Juda,’ at the main gate of the Ajmer Dargah, shortly before a rally by the Muslim community against suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma. Sharma had made derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammad during a television debate, leading to her suspension by the BJP and receiving multiple death threats.
After the video of Chishti’s slogans went viral, a case was registered against him. He subsequently went missing and was apprehended on July 14, 2022, in Hyderabad.
The police also investigated Chishti’s potential connections to the murder of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal, who was killed by two cleaver-wielding men over a controversial social media post. However, the investigation found no links between Chishti and the killers.
On Tuesday, the local court’s decision to acquit Gauhar Chishti and the other accused brought closure to this high-profile case. The court’s ruling underscored the complexity of balancing legal judgments with the charged atmosphere of religious and political sensitivities.
