The Muslim farmer in Baghpat

MEERUT: Two days after a Muslim farmer in Baghpat was allegedly attacked and thrown out of a mosque on Friday night for going on the Kanwar Yatra and bringing a kanwar of Ganga water to a local temple, the man has threatened to convert to Hinduism if his community did not stop persecuting him and if proper action was not taken against his tormentors.

On Monday morning, Babu Khan, 40, was able to offer prayers at the mosque at his village, Ranchhad. However, he alleged that three persons, detained by police for the earlier attack on him had been let go, and they threatened him again after he came out of the mosque.

“Mustaqeem Ahmad, Mohd Yazuddin and Gullu, who had attacked me earlier, threatened me again on Monday as I left the mosque. They said now that they were released from police custody, there was nothing I could do to them. They said they would now see what needed to be done about me.”

Police on the other hand said the issue was more personal than religious. Devender Bisht, station officer of Binoli police station told TOI, “Those who opposed Babu Khan are the ones with whom he has an old enmity and court cases are going on even at present. His involvement in the Kanwar Yatra only gave them an opportunity to harass him. On Friday we had filed an FIR under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the IPC against the three persons and they are all out on bail. A compromise had also reached at between them and Khan has started going for namaz unhindered.”

However, Khan is not satisfied with the development. “Police cannot be with me all the time and these men are rogues. For a couple of days after the incident I had even sent my family including my wife and four children to another village. They came back only on Sunday night but today I was again threatened. If this situation continues, I will convert to Hinduism. At least I will get respect there,” he said.

