‘Convert or go to Pak’: Man held for death threats to Muslim family

COMPLAINANT SAYS ACCUSED STARTED HARASSING THEM AFTER HE OPPOSED CHIT FUND SCHEMES HE RUNS

ROHTAK: A Sonepat man was arrested for allegedly issuing death threats to a Muslim family of his village on WhatsApp, askingthemtoconvertto Hinduism or go to Pakistan.

The incident occurred at Rai sub-division’s Jat Joshi village where Suresh Alvi’s is the only Muslim family that has been living for generations.

Alvi claimed that Jaiveer Hooda had been running a chit fund scheme under a Ram Raj SevaSamitiandwascommitting frauds. As Alvi’s brother has been the sarpanch of the village twice, people would come to him to complain about Jaiveer’s chit fund frauds. When he raised his voice against it, Jaiveer got irked andstartedtargetinghimandhis family on the basis of religion.

“We, being the only Muslim family, have been living here for long. My elder brother has been chosen sarpanch twice unanimously. But this man has been trying to disrupt harmony in the village. He sends us threatening messages asking us to convert to lower caste Hindus or he will set our house on fire and get us killed,” Alvi said.

“He sends vulgar messages to the women of my family. Last month,wehadfiledapolicecomplaint against him for harassing my sister-in-law, but the village eldersconvincedustonotpursue the matter. Since then, he has startedharassingusevenmore,” he said.

The police have registered a case against Jaiveer under Sections 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Rai police station in-charge Rishikant said they have arrested the accused.