Dr Shaki Nath Jha
Murshidabad is a district of West Bengal, very adjacent to Bangladesh. Population comprises of nearly seventy percent muslims. These muslim People follow simple, traditional Islamic culture, not influenced by any strict doctrine of Islam. The ‘Baul-Fakir ‘s Community also lives in some parts of the district. Their songs have recently been accorded inter- nationally and recognized as a form of art to be preserved. Chief Minister of West Bengal has also honoured the work of this Baul community.
The Baul-Fakirs declare themselves as human being only rising above the religion, caste, creed and sex. Lallan, Hossain Raza never introduced themselves as Hindu or Muslim. Their dress-code, rituals even food-habits transgress the traditional rules of Vedic or Shariyat. They feel proud to quote Mirza Ghalib ,” My creed is oneness, my belief is abandonment of all rituals. Let all communities dissolve and constitute a faith”, They set up a human bonding among all people speaking different languages and believer of different opinions.
The person or group of persons, ever-vocal against the distorted ritualism in the name of religion, are always accused of blasphemy. Hence Baul-Fakirs are not spared. Though till recently we were not familiar with the fact of any physical or mental torture on this community. Now the Hindu and Muslim leaders of society become proactive for destruction of them countrywide. They maintain the rules of regionalism, castism to divide the people of India and try to abolish the community who possesses a broadened view about mankind.
“Islamic State” word is very commonly said now-a-days. The fundamentalists have been fighting hard to establish a country in the midst of other countries like Syria, Afghanistan etc. where only Islamic Laws, interpreted by them, are to be followed. In some countries, the followers are engaged in gorilla war to destroy harmony. They fabricate a world-wide muslim front to destroy human civilization. Murshidabad bigots are not exception. They are closely associated with the Bangladesh fundamentalists. They have been trying to assemble religious faithful muslims in the muslim-oriented areas to establish the dictum of their mediaeval and barbarian rules, inject their own opinions about rules and regulations. In this situation there is neither any scope to maintain brotherhood with the people of other religions nor to co-exist with them. They treat the area as their own territory and force everybody to abide by the new Islamic Laws.
Recently, many incidents of harassment of Baul-Fakirs are encountered. The Group living in a village “Natun Hassanpur” of Dangapara Village Panchayat of Murshidabad were either tormented or tortured earlier to make them join in new Islamic group. The baul mentor Guru Forzullah Sheikh was ostracized. Despite that the community did not bow out. His disciple, Akbar Ali Sheikh was an employee of Health Deptt. And a Trade Union Leader who now is the secretary of Baul Sangha. Guru’s son Aarul Sheikh is a baul and non-follower of Shariyat. That is why fundamentalists restricted the villagers by Fatwa to bury Aarul’s mother deadbody. However, some bauls were able to complete the work of bury. The fundamentalists took revenge by shuttering down small business shops of three bauls at Chaighari and coerced them to give up baul faith.
On 11th Sept, 2016, Akbar and Aarul were warned to give up their present belief which they refused. As a result they were also debarred from the society. Even then it cannot be enforced. In the month of April, Rumelabibi, wife of Aarul Sheikh, returned from hospital in a critical condition and started living at her Father’s house. Fundamentalists ruled out Aarul from visiting his wife lying in deathbed. It is reported that bed-ridden Rumelabibi was forced by Moulavis to give ‘talaque’ to Aarul and she expired after two days. Aarul was forbidden to give soil to his wife’s tomb. Besides that, fundamentalists executed the following fatwa of boycott on Akbar and Aarul. Nobody is allowed to talk to them Nobody is allowed to cultivate their land. Nobody is allowed to provide labour and water for their land They are not allowed to walk on the field of others Even they imposed a fine of Rs.10000/- on each and every baul visiting house of Omar Seikh, Rumela bibi’s father. Omar sheikh was also fined for meeting Akbar. Heither Sheikh, another follower of Baul faith, was fined for talking to Akbar’s family member and now it is being planned for harder punishment as Heither ignored their order. Same restrictions were imposed on two Christian families living in the village.
In this way, Baul-Fakirs are being stripped off their own idealism and culture and are being influenced to join the core group of fanatic islam. The area is now a free island for them and it has been converted to a labour room of regional hooliganism. This is led by Moulana Abul Hassan son of Ramzan Sheikh. It is in the recent news that some of his relatives are lingering in jail for their involvement in fake currency transaction. They have stopped the cultural program, scheduled to be performed by artists from Bangladesh on 10/03/2017 on the occasion of centenary celebration of Achara Village School of Nabagram under Lallbagh P.S. Dr. Samiruddin Sarkar and Akbar Hossain were the main coordinators of the function.
Many followers of Chistia Pir perform Namaz following their own procedure In a separate house called ‘Darbar”. Fundamentalists forcibly secured permission letter to build Madrasa in the same Darbar. Even when their pirs praise Rabindranath, Kazi Nazrul Islaam and Mother Teressa as honest and adorable persons and mentioned that they live in heaven, the Darbar was demolished. In the same village, Malek Sheikh, another baul, was humiliated. Another Pir, Golam Murtaza, was tortured. Fundamentalists did not allow Jeher Sheikh to give soil to his father’s tomb. But a silver lining is that, Abdul Mannan of adjacent village is organizing public demonstration against these fundamentalists. Pity is the local political outfits either left or right preferred to remain indifferent to the atrocities unleashed by the Islamist fanatic forces in the bordering district of India infiltritrated from Bangladesh. After all the vote bank politics matter the most.
*The writer was the professor of K.N. College, Murshidabad.
