'Decree' spells nightmare for this family

By Our Staff Correspondent

BIJAPUR, APRIL 27. Till the other day, Mr. Afzal Hassan Dongri Janwekar and the members of his family were in much demand, at least, in their Halimgalli locality in Bijapur city. Their house used to be the hub of social activities.

People used to knock at their door for help. But all of a sudden they have become ``untouchables'' following the ``social boycott'' imposed on them by their Halim Maszid Jamat reportedly at the instance of the Congress leadership in the city.

The Janwekar family, which once had enormous political clout in the city, is now humiliated, and is living in a terrorised atmosphere. When a group of journalists visited the family on Friday, initially the members were hesitant to speak out fearing further wrath from their political adversaries. They did not know whether or not to narrate their psychological trauma.

According to Mr. Afzal Janwekar, they do not want to blame anyone but their own fate, and they are just saying prayers to end their woes. The female members of the family have not come out of the house since the imposition of ``social boycott'' on Saturday last. The male members, who venture out, have to swallow the insult in public.

``Leave alone a smile, the neighbours, erstwhile friends and dear ones just turn their faces and go away whenever we encounter them. Even at the shops owned by our people, we face the same kind of humiliation,'' says Mr. Janwekar.

The bad days of the Janwekar family started with the commencement of the process for the civic election. The Congress gave him ticket to contest from Ward No. 9. However, he, along with other candidates, withdrew from the contest which resulted in the unanimous election of the BJP candidate, Mr. Ashok Ningappa Nyamgonda.

Infuriated by this, the President of the city Congress unit, Mr. L.L Ustad, who is the younger brother of the Bijapur city MLA, Mr. M.L.Ustad, expelled Mr. Janwekar from the party. Further, he allegedly persuaded the leaders of the Halim Maszid Jamat to boycott Mr. Janwekar and his family. As per the ``decree'' of the Jamat, which was circulated to a section of the Press along with the letter written by Mr. L. L. Ustad, apart from Afzal Janwekar's family, the families of his three brothers have been ``kept out'' of the community.

The Halim Maszid Jamat had obtained Congress ticket for Mr. Janwekar. But without consulting the Jamat, he withdrew from the contest, and ``brought bad name'' to the Jamat, the ``decree'' said and called upon the other jamats not to entertain these families without its permission.

However, according to Mr. Janwekar, he took the decision to withdraw in the presence of a few senior members from his community. ``Hindus are in overwhelming majority in the area. I withdrew from the contest on the advice of senior citizens of the locality to keep communal harmony. That was the only fault I committed,'' he says.

``I am also accused of accepting money from the rival candidate for withdrawing from the contest. I denied this allegation swearing on my eight-year-old son at the masjid. But the Jamat took the decision in the presence of some political leaders,' he said.

According to his 75-year-old mother, Ms. Ameenabi, ``life has become a nightmare'' for the family. None of them is taking food properly or getting sound sleep since it all started. ``Ours is a respectful family and we have helped a number of people. It is testing time for us now,'' she says.

More than anything else, they fear a possible threat to their livelihood in the coming days. All these families run mutton shops in the market area. Their business has not been affected so far.

The Janwekar brothers have decided to seek ``justice'' from the Congress President, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, according to sources close to them.

The Minister for Small Scale Industries, Mr. S.R.Kashappanavar, has disapproved this social boycott.

According to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Rakesh Singh, he learnt of the incident through the Press, and it is yet to be ascertained by the district administration.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : 12 infants of 'Sparsh' shifted to Sishu Vihar
Next     : Krishna begins campaign in Kerala today