After Zafar Khan (50), a social activist passed away on Friday, the media and the opposition ceased this opportunity to provoke Hindu-Muslim violence in Pratapgarh. Nevertheless, was Zafar Khan really murdered by the civic authorities on duty? The medical reports don’t seem to attest the ‘unbiased judgment’ passed by the media and high-profile politicians.
What the Media Claimed?
The initial reports suggest that government officials from Nagar Parishad, including Municipal council commissioner Ashok Jain, Ramesh Parihar, Afroz Khan, Manish Singolia, Ritesh Chanal and Kamal Chanal were given the responsibility to promote Swachh Bharat Abhiyan all over the state, as per the center’s instruction. The opposition accused the officers of photographing women who were defecating in the open when social activist Zafar Khan intervened in this matter.
What Really Happened?
It’s to be noted that at 6:15 am in the morning, the team was present on the road leading to Bagwaas Kachchi Basti. The members of Nagar Parishad asked a group of men and women who were going to defecate in the open. That’s when Zafar Khan decided to step in. Khan had a verbal argument with sweeper Kamal Chanal that ended in bally-ragging.
Check out the viral video of Zafar Khan pushing the government officers while the Basti members try to pelt stone at them.
The Nagar Parishad officers took this matter to the Rajasthan Police, where they lodged a FIR against Zafar Khan. Before the police could look into this matter, it was discovered that Khan succumbed to his death due to cardio-respiratory failure—a fact revealed by the postmortem report.
But, before the police could pass an official statement regarding this matter, the media blamed the officers on duty and Vasundhara Raje government for Zafar Khan’s death. There weren’t any photographs or video clips confirming that the government officials clicked photographs of women, nor did the deceased’s body show visible signs of physical assault still the media was quick to pass its judgment.
Realizing the seriousness of this matter, Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje assigned a compensation amount of Rs 2 Lakh to the deceased’s family and order unfair, unbiased investigation in this matter. If Khan was wronged, the guilty would be punished, but the punishment won’t be granted on the basis of media reports.
In times like these, rather than being influenced by the media and opposition, we need to show faith in the government. Just like Raje government took a strong action against the guilty in Alwar lynching and Nagaur incident, we’re positive that the government will resolve Zafar Khan’s death in a fair and transparent way.
