DR. M. IQBAL SIDDIQUI presents how a simple case of circumcision of two small boys, of course in line of the tradition of the family and with due permission of their parents, was given a communal colour resulting in levelling baseless charges against and the arrest of the grandfather of the boys and the person who had performed the circumcision.
There was an ambiance of festival in the village Shivnagri in Beawar region of Ajmer district in Rajasthan. About 40 boys, belonging to the Cheeta-Mehrat-Kathat clan were circumcised. Among them were Rahul and Akash, grandchildren of Mangi Lal Kathat. He was happy and thanking Allah for granting him this opportunity. But just after two days, the police raided his house and arrested Mangi and his wife Sakeena under the Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 320 (inflicting severe injury) and 395-A (hurting religious feelings). Maulana Gheesu Khan, who had performed the khatna, was also arrested from his village Shivnagri.
The Cheeta-Mehrat-Kathat, collectively called the Kathats, have their roots in the Chauhan dynasty. In the 10th century CE, Anup and Anhal, sons of the Chauhan ruler Lakhan Singh ousted the ruling Gurjars from the area and established the Chauhan kingdom making Chang their capital. In Anhal’s 24th generation, born Har Raj and Bal Raj who embraced Islam in 1393 CE. The Muslim emperor Alauddeen Khilji honoured Har Raj with the title of ‘Kaathaa’, means ‘The Strong’, due to his outstanding bravery. His descendents were called the Kathats.
The descendents of Bal Raj, who were later called Rawats (or Barads), however deviated from Islam and reverted to the religion of their forefathers after about 150 years. Due to the lack of education and ignorance most of the Kathats who decided to remain Muslims, didn’t practise Islamic traditions. Only some symbolic things like burial of their deceased, eating halal meat and khatna (circumcision) kept them abide by Islam for 700 years. Even today they have both Hindu and Muslim names in the same family. Therefore Mangi Lal was also having his name and his son Rajesh and grandsons Rahul and Akash, though all are Muslims.
Mangi Lal, for a long period kept himself from Islam and portrayed himself as a Hindu. He was also named district level office bearer of the VHP. Due to his ignorance, he harmed the cause of Islamic organisations striving to uplift the Kathat community educationally, economically and religiously. When his wife died a few years ago, he prepared to bury her according to the custom of his clan. On this a conflict arose between him and his VHP friends, but he insisted on following the custom. On this point, he separated himself from the VHP and declared in a ceremony that now he is a Muslim and will remain Muslim for rest of his life. He remarried after some time with a Muslim woman Sakeena. He was much worried now for his children’s Muslim identity and wanted his grandsons to be circumcised. He discussed the matter with his son and daughter-in-law who agreed for the ceremony in the name of tradition. When the day of the Khatna Ceremony came, his son and his wife went to Jaipur for some work. Grandfather took his grandsons with him to Shivnagri where the ceremony took place and the job was done.
Only after two days, his son Rajesh Kathat, working in Indian Navy at Mumbai, and brought up in a Hindu environment, lodged an FIR against his father, stepmother and Maulana Gheesu Khan who had performed the khatna, alleging them of circumcising his children without his permission and ‘converting’ them to Islam.
According to Mangu Khan Kathat, the president of the Cheeta-Mehrat-Kathat Mahasabha, Mangi Lal’s second wife Sakeena has brought her son Qamruddeen born of her previous husband. Now the in-laws of Rajesh told him that his father (Mangi Lal) would give away all of his property to his wife’s son hence he must act against him – and this was the high time. Thus, he said, Rajesh lodged an FIR against his father while the circumcision was done after his and his wife’s due consent.
Mangu Khan Kathat, president of Cheeta-Mehrat-Kathat Mahasabha and other office bearers held a press conference in Jaipur and told media men that they have been Muslims for the last 700 years and it has been the tradition of their tribe to circumcise their boys. They wondered from where the question of conversion arises when Muslims get their boys circumcised. Mangu Khan and other office bearers of the Mahasabha told news persons that this was solely their family matter and no other person or organisation has any right to interfere therein.
When Mangi Lal was to be produced before the magistrate at Beawar court, VHP and Shiv Sena activists gathered in a large number and began shouting slogans against him. Meanwhile, when a youth, Bhanwaru Kathat consoled and asked him not to worry as everything will be ok, the activists of these fascist organisations chased him. The irony is that instead of saving him from the goons, the police arrested Bhanwaru Kathat under Section 151 (shattering peace).
Another unpleasant thing that occurred was that the Bar Association of Beawar declared that no lawyer will take up Mangi Lal Kathat’s case. And as such the Cheeta-Mehrat-Kathat Mahasabha had to hire a lawyer from Ajmer to plead for Mangi Lal Kathat.
Mangi Lal Kathat is now in judicial custody. Now let us see if truth and justice prevails or communalism and fascism takes over them.