Hyder Ali
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Apr 22: The J&K Muslim Wakf Board has convicted an imam of sexual advances on a female cop at a shrine here.
Official documents, a copy of which lies with Early Times, reveal that the Wakf Board has convicted the Imam who was working at a shrine here. Last year, following complaints of a female police personnel posted at the shrine, that the imam had been making sexual advances on her, the Wakf Board constituted an inquire committee, which found the complaints true.
The Inquiry Committee headed by Dr KD Farooqi filed a 9-page charge sheet against the imam. The accused had earlier refuted the charges. But finally he confessed his crime when some video evidence was shown to him.
"Molvi (name withheld) through his cell phone used highly objectionable and obscene language in his conversation with (female cop). This he had done with sole aim of making sexual advances and securing sexual favors from the lady constable," the Inquiry Committee report reads.
The committee observed that from making phone calls to sending lewd messages on Facebook and Watsapp, the convict had been doing everything to attract the female constable.
"He adopted devious and cunning means to impress the lady constable. Whenever he would enter holy shrine in his car he would always desire that members of police party pay obeisance to him and open door of his car and mark way for him to reach the mosque," the report said.
"The Molvi would go to the extent of even trying to influence one (name withheld) police functionary in the police department so that the lady constable of J&K Police is not shifted from the shrine. He would always like to assume an air of grandeur around his persona by trying to exhibit his clout and influence with bureaucracy, civil and police, ministers and people who matter. In order to achieve this he would shamelessly try to highlight any of participation of devotees who happened to be some influential person in course of his Friday sermon," it added.
"He used to indulge in activities unbecoming of a person entrusted with leading Friday prayers," the report reads adding "the target of his activities was Miss (name withheld) lady constable. This he had done with sole aim of making sexual advances and securing sexual favors from the lady constable. He had the audacity of using cell phone to communicate with lady constable where under he even not ashamed of making lewd remarks."
The lady police official, however, played tricky to get him nailed. "The lady constable of J&K Police sensing evil intentions of Molvi arranged to make video recording of his conversation," the report said.
In response to the charge sheet submitted by the Inquiry Committee, wherein the accused confessed his crime, but sought "pardon", the Secretary J&K Muslim Wakf Board pronounced the "punishment" for the convict.
"Consequent upon the receipt of report from the Inquiry Committee… the management has come to the conclusion that he has not been able to disown the allegations although he has tried to do so without any substantial facts/evidence. It is therefore ordered that the following punishments be and are hereby imposed on Molvi," the reads copy of the orders issued by the Secretary on April 2, 2016 vide order number MWB, Admn/16-23.
The "punishments" include: "Withholding of promotion to the next higher scale of pay for a period of three years. Forfeiture of one increment in his present scale of pay. He is banned from performing the duties of Imam and delivering of religious sermons in any of the mosques of the Wakf Board for all times to come. Molvi is hereby reinstated. His place of posting will be made separately," the order adds. |
