Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad on Tuesday requested union home minister Rajnath Singh to ask Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to `stop' atrocities being committed on the Shia community allegedly at the behest of state minority affairs minister Azam Khan.
Rajnath Singh, who is also an MP from Lucknow, had gone to see Jawad, who is unwell for the past several days. Later, Jawad said in a press statement, "I requested Rajnath Singh to talk to Mulayam Singh, with whom he has friendly relations, as to why atrocities are being committed by the SP government on the Shia community at the behest of a minister with communal mindset, and who is also responsible for riots between Hindus and Muslims as well as Shia and Sunnis."
The Maulana also complained to Rajnath that BJP was not keeping its promises made to the Shia community during Lok Sabha elections. "Shias constitute 30% of population in Kashmir but their problems have been overlooked by the BJP," he said. Singh, while reportedly inviting Jawad to Delhi for talks, also gave assurance that he would do his best to solve all the problems raised by him.
The cleric, though did not name Azam Khan in his press statement, has been at loggerhead with the latter since a long time. Recently, UP Shia Wakf Board had removed Jawad from the post of mutawalli (caretaker) of three Shia wakf properties in Lucknow, and ordered a probe into alleged anomalies committed by him in management of these properties. Jawad had then blamed Khan for forcing board to take action against him.
Along with Jawad, 26 other mutawallis, including Congress MLA Nawab Kazim Ali, the mutawalli of Rampur auqaf, were also removed by the board. The board also issued an ultimatum to Jawad and Kazim Ali to leave the post of mutwalli of wakf properties by January 18 else FIRs would be lodged against them.
However, in response, Jawad dared chairperson of the board Waseem Rizvi to approach the police against him saying he too wanted the `lies' against him to be `exposed in court'. Jawad also accused Rizvi of indulging in corruption.
Meanwhile, a section of the Shia community continued to stage protest against the board's decision to remove Jawad. Some Shia clerics also announced that protests to condemn Rizvi's action will be held all over the state after Friday prayers.
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