india

Updated: Jan 16, 2018 23:17 IST

Two days after Shia Waqf Board president Waseem Rizvi said that he got death threats on his cellphone, a Bareilly-based religious outfit All India Faizan-e-Madina Council (AIFMC) announced a bounty of Rs 10,00,786 and a free Haj trip for anyone who brings them his (Rizvi’s) head.

The organisation said Rizvi had hurt religious sentiments of the Muslims by his ‘some madarsas acting as breeding ground for terrorists’ remarks.

Also, BJP’s district unit president (minority cell) of Azamgarh Sofiyan Khan plans to give Rs 51,000 to anyone who ‘spits on Rizvi’s face’. Khan burnt the Shia Board chief’s effigy and held demonstration against him in Sagdi Tehsil of Azamgarh here on Tuesday.

“Our organisation would pay Rs 10 lakh to anyone who beheads Waseem Rizvi and will also sponsor his Haj (trip),” said Moeen Siddiqui Noori, head of the AIFMC. Noori said Rizvi had just two days to apologise for his remarks or take back his statement on madarsa, failing which followers of his organisation would behead him.

This is not the first time that AIFMC chief has announced a cash reward for someone’s head. Noori had issued a similar death threat to controversial Canadian Muslim Tarek Fateh last year. This was followed up by him in a similar announcement against Zee media group owner Subhash Chandra. Before that, he had placed a bounty on BJP leader Subramanian Swami’s head, following which he was arrested.

“Soon after BJP came to power at the Centre, home minister Rajnath Singh said there were no terrorists studying in Indian madrasas and that the government wouldn’t close any such institute. He made that statement in Lok Sabha and was supported by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Noori pointed out.

“He (Wasim Rizvi) poses a danger and could ruin the communal harmony and social fabric of the country. We demand the state government to immediately terminate his services as Shia Waqf Board president. If he doesn’t apologize for his statement, our organisation will behead him and we will award the person responsible with a cash prize as well as a free Haj trip,” Noori said.