To get job in Surat, Muslim took Hindu name; revealed when he was killed
(Dec 29, 2009, Express India)

All Mehboob Pathan (50) of Valak village on Surat's outskirts wanted was a
job in the city. Having a Muslim name, he felt, came in the way. So, to get
himself a job in Surat's diamond units, he passed himself off as Jayenti
Bhatti, and managed to find work in two separate units in the Kapodara area.
Early this week, his "cover" was blown, after he was brutally killed over a
monetary dispute. As the distraught family stepped forward to admit that
Jayenti Bhatti was indeed Mehboob Pathan, they worried that having been
cremated as a Hindu, the practising Muslim's soul may not find peace. In the
ledgers of Surat's diamond units, there are many leading a double life like
Pathan. His son Mushtaq is registered as Mukesh and daughter Samina as
Sharmila, and both are afraid of losing their jobs if the fact was known.

Diamond industry sources and workers say many Muslims assume Hindu names to
find work in the city's lucrative diamond business. One of them, Allarakha
Khan, admits to having passed himself off as a Hindu like many others from
his village. "We would not get a job if we are known to be Muslims. We have
been doing this for a long time, and we take great care not to reveal our
real names or addresses at work," he told The Indian Express. Rohit Mehta,
president of the Surat Diamond Association, however, denied knowledge of
Muslims passing themselves off as Hindus for jobs. "We will inquire into
this," he said. Pathan's story came to be known after his body was found in
a farm at Antroli last Monday, with the head smashed in. The police
registered a case and kept the unclaimed body in the Palsana Primary Health
Centre mortuary till Thursday. Then they arranged to give Pathan alias
Bhatti a Hindu funeral, with all the rites.

His family, who had been looking for Pathan, had filed a missing complaint.
Then, seeing news stories in local newspapers about an unclaimed body,
Mehboob's brother-in-law Iqbal Pathan decided to check. By that time, Pathan
had been cremated, but the brother-in-law identified him from a photo of the
body. The family says Pathan was a pious Muslim and the change of name was
just so that he and his children could find and keep a job. "We are too poor
to do anything, but how could the police dispose of his body the Hindu way?"
asks son Mushtaq. "A genital examination would have shown he was a Muslim."

Sub-Inspector of Kadodara police V R Malhotra said they had kept the body in
the mortuary hoping someone would turn up. "We disposed it of according to
Hindu rites not knowing he was a Muslim. The family turned up too late and
we are now helpless." Kapodara police inspector S J Tirmizi, who is probing
the murder, confirmed that Pathan had passed himself off as Bhatti for work.
Manoj Rokad, who is the manager of the Varachha unit in which Pathan's
daughter Samina works as a diamond polisher, has reportedly confessed to the
murder.

According to the police, Rokad had become a family friend of the Pathans and
knew their real identities. Two years ago, Pathan had reportedly loaned
Rokad Rs 60,000 for an emergency, which he never returned. Pathan used to
call Rokad repeatedly asking him to return the same, and the latter
reportedly asked Pathan to meet him on December 20. They went to Antroli
village, where Rokad allegedly killed Pathan with the help of two other
diamond polishers, who have been identified as Chhanya Rathod and Sanjay.
While Rokad has been held, and has reportedly admitted that they beat Pathan
to death, Rathod and Sanjay are on the run.

http://www.expressindia.com/story_print.php?storyId=560929<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102919450726&s=13373&e=001vbLV8eRhku0tO3wCcF2NttAenisMlnzYnzyrrw4SBirk5ziJYc48noBESbeT5RiEnmcSiaL7gRskrmJbr6THtah7VTS8ayqNf9OCCJ-CO18l1hAbS3iWxJic5ne6pweiI26JBPR1_r5EfLk-C8p8jgVr_tWU2zYery_awQvGJPY=>

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"humanrights movement" group.
To post to this group, send email to humanrights-movem...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to 
humanrights-movement+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at 
http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en.


Reply via email to