The recently horrific video of a man being hacked and burned to death on the basis of love jihad had the nation in a stumped state.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday expressed grief over the brutal killing of the migrant laborer from Bengal, Afrajul Khan, in Rajasthan and announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to the deceased’s family. Banerjee also talked to the deceased’s widow over the phone and said she would send a team of ministers and party MPs to Khan’s family in Malda district.
“Very sad incident happened in Rajasthan. Afrajul Khan of Malda of our state was brutally killed. His family is totally helpless. As a small help to the bereaved family, our government has decided to provide Rs 3 lakh to the family,” Banerjee wrote in Twitter.
The Chief Minister said one of the deceased’s family members would be given a job by the Bengal government.
“Also one job to the eligible person of the victim’s family. Other help from the government will also be provided. I am sending our team of ministers and MPs to visit the family,” she said.
At least three protest rallies were taken out in Kolkata, one of them in front of the Rajasthan Bhawan in Alipore. A rally was held from Jadavpur to Park Circus and another procession was organized at Hedua in north Kolkata.
The family members of the victim, meanwhile, trashed the ‘love jihad’ angle to the incident.
Gaji Azizul, a relative said that Afrazul had been staying in Rajasthan for about 20 years. “He stayed in a rented house with his two sons-in-law Ranu Kaji and Mossaraf Khan and used to take up construction work. Afrazul used to leave the house with his sons-in-law and used to return with them. Never did anyone tell us that Afrazul was seen with any woman. The ‘love-jihad’ angle is bunkum,” he added.
“Today district magistrate, superintendent of police and some other officers visited our house and informed us of the steps the CM has taken. We are happy with that. Now we want the government to ensure speedy trial of case” said Rezina Khatun, one of the daughters of Afrazul.
Two daughters of Afrazul are married and the youngest, Habiba Khatun, is a student of class 9.
Afrazul’s family members described him as the family’s sole earning member.
Almost all the residents of Sayedpur village are Muslims. There are some Hindu families in the neighboring villages.
After the video of the murder went viral, the situation here turned tense. Manajir Khan, a resident of Sayedpur said, “People of this area are peace loving. We don’t want any kind of trouble here.”
On Friday, a posse of policemen was deployed in the area to avoid any untoward incident.
The body of Afrajul was brought to the state on Friday night. State Transport Minister Subhendu Adhikari and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim are expected to visit the deceased’s house, along with other ruling party leaders on Saturday morning. Confirming that Banerjee had a word with the deceased’s widow through his phone, Malda District Magistrate Kaushik Bhattacharya said the administration was taking necessary steps to help the family.
“We are trying to start an immediate pension for the family. We are also trying to arrange a job for one of the three girls of the deceased, as instructed by the Chief Minister. We will try to aid the struggling family as much as possible,” Bhattacharya said.
In a horrifying video gone viral on Thursday, Afrajul was seen being brutally hacked to death and set on fire in Rajasamand district of Rajasthan, for allegedly committing “love jihad”. Police arrested accused Shambunath Raigar on Thursday.
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