PUNE, 4 July 2005 — In a bizarre development in the alleged rape of 32 years old Muslim woman Imrana by her father-in-law, a fact-finding team of the All Indian Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) which went to Muzaffarnagar to probe the incident, reported that the alleged rape never took place.
The surprising revelation of the AIMPLB team raises a valid question of whether the alleged rape was faked by Imrana and the reason for her doing so. The answer to this question appears to be in the affirmative, if the report is to be believed.
According to team leader Qasim Rasool Ilyas, the incident was due to a fallout over a property dispute. The father-in-law Ali Ahmed was in heavy debt and wanted to sell his property, which was opposed by Imrana and her husband Noor Elahi, a rickshaw puller.
Ilyas who recorded the statement of Imrana and others, said that based on the circumstantial evidence collected by the team from the place of the incident and the statements of Imrana’s family members and neighbors, it does not appear that she was raped by her father-in-law and also her claim has not been corroborated by others, as such the veracity of her statement was doubtful. Further Imrana’s claim that she was gagged by her father-in-law before the rape does not hold water as it is not possible for the rape to have taken place in view of the condition of her one room small house which had little privacy, Ilyas said.
How can a rape go unnoticed, asked Ilyas, when Imrana’s five elder brothers and their families along with her husband Noor Elahi were sleeping just outside the house, where the incident is alleged to have taken place on June 12? Why did she not raise an alarm or inform her brothers and husband immediately and why did she wait till now to expose the rape? questioned Ilyas.
Ilyas said that Imrana’s statements were contradictory and were not supported by her in-laws, the people of her village or even the imam of the village mosque and added that the whole drama of rape was enacted by Imrana and her husband to fix her father-in-law and stop him from selling the property.
As the real motive of Imrana’s charges of rape are getting exposed or questioned, she came under severe attack from the Muslim community. Her neighbor Dr. Muhammed Hanif Tyagi described her as a “confirmed liar” and said that Imrana and her husband faked up the rape incident basically for a property dispute, and as her father-in-law refused to listen to them not to sell the property, they framed him on rape charges, Dr. Tyagi said.
Imrana’s house in her village is locked. Her neighbors say that she has no face to return. How can she think of living here, after brining disgrace to herself and the Muslim community? they asked.
Chased by the media, the plain truth remains that it is difficult for Imrana to prove rape and medical report doesn’t help her cause in anyway. Her lodging the rape complaint after a fortnight’s delay, seems to be an after thought act. Say’s Investigating Officer Kanchan Singh Upadhya that the delay by Imrana in reporting the incident, means her medical examination now will not help establish the rape charge, and thus eventually her father-in-law Ali Ahmed now behind bars may walk free.
Maulana Rabey Hassan Nadwi, Chairman of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and Rector of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulema distanced the AIMPLB from the Imrana issue, stating that the issue does not fall under the purview of AIMPLB. “It is a local issue which should be settled locally and the AIMPLB adheres strictly with its policy of non-interference in the principle of law of different sect as it would lead to controversy.
All political parties, women organizations, politicized Imrana’s issue and fuelling fire to the incident was the media on the forefront. Residents of Kukra, the village where Imrana resided, blocked the entry of journalists from entering the village. An angry mob of villagers drove off television crew of BBC and other television network, who wanted to interview Imrana.
Taking serious note of the demand of the Hindu fundamentalist and left parties and women organizations that the federal government bring the Muslims into the fold of the Common Civil Code (CCC), Mufti Aijaz Arshad Qasmi of Darul Uloom, Deoband, said that the Common Civil Code (CCC) issue should not be linked to the Imrana case. Also Muslim Ulemas and organizations have vehemently opposed of any changes in Islamic Personal Laws, as the Sharia Courts were competent enough to handle Muslim related cases.
In Rampur, in western Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Maulana Mufti Mehboob of the city’s Jama Masjid, speaking after the Friday prayers told the Muslims that those who sympathized with Imrana are un-Islamic, and warned that there was a deep-rooted conspiracy behind the un-Islamic forces showing sympathy to Imrana.
Launching a blister attack on the Hindu fanatical outfits, Syed Shahabuddin, president of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat in a statement said that his organization condemns the political exploitation of Imrana case by the BJP to promote its long cherished agenda of religious assimilation of Muslim community through imposition of a Common Civil Code, which Shahabuddin said was totally “illogical and misconceived” as no civil law can eliminate such relationship in society, and pointed out that several such cases are reported off and on, though it violates Hindu code.
The Uttar Pradesh State Women’s Commission distancing from the controversy criticized Imrana and said that she was issuing varying statement and that her stand has not been constant.
