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ing to eyewitnesses, the police, the factory

administration and the security guards

TURNING A
remained silent spectators throughout.
“The unruly mob kept crying out,
‘Maro, kafir ko maro’ (kill the infidel). When
I passed by, I saw Jagdish lying on the
ground – taking his last breath. I overheard

BLIND EYE
someone saying he wanted to burn his
body,” says an eyewitness in an interview
with Newsline.
Jagdish Kumar, a member of the
scheduled Hindu castes, was one of eight
siblings of a family who had migrated to

The shocking murder of a Hindu worker has been met by Karachi two years ago in search of better
employment opportunities. He lived
official apathy. with his brother-in-law, Om Prakash, in

By Salam Dharejo

“P
overty compelled us to send
Jagdish to earn a higher
wage in Karachi. In return, I
received his dead body. I don’t
understand why he was killed
in such a brutal manner,” says a bereaved
Pirbhu ji, the father of Jagdish Kumar,
while talking to Newsline from Mirpurkhas.
Jagdish, a 27-year-old Hindu worker at
Nova Leather Industries Private Limited,
was killed on the premises of the leather
factory by his co-workers on suspicion of
blasphemy, in the presence of police as
well as security guards.
Jagdish had been working in the
stretching department at Nova Leather for
the past year. According to his co-workers,
he was having an affair with a Muslim girl
who worked in the same department. The AFP

other Muslim workers of the department,

against the Prophet (PBUH). Consequently,
Marvari Mohalla, Lyari Silent specta-
mainly Waqas, Usman and Hashim, were
a group of workers entered the department
Town. Large communi- tor: The police
and started attacking Jagdish. Realising has done little
not too happy with Jagdish’s relationship ties, mainly comprising
the severity of the incident, Aslam Gujar, to investigate
with the Muslim girl and allegedly threat- scheduled caste Hindus
the security incharge, informed Naeem, the murder of
ened him with dire consequences if he from Tharparkar, move
one of the security personnel, who took Jagdish Kumar
didn’t end it. As a result, Jagdish missed to Karachi to find em-
Jagdish into the security room at 11.45 (inset).
two days of work. ployment. In Korangi,
a.m. and contacted the police to help
On April 8, when Jagdish returned to thousands of Hindu
control the situation. A police mobile from
work, he got into a quarrel with the above- workers are currently employed in different
the Korangi station arrived at 12.30 p.m. to
mentioned co-workers, but the matter factories and provide cheap labour to the
find the situation already out of control: an-
was supposedly resolved at 10 a.m. by Mr industry.
gry workers had broken the iron gate of the
Noshaba, the supervisor of the depart- Nova Leather, which is located in the
security room, dragged Jagdish out and
ment. Soon, however, rumours began to Korangi Industrial Area, employs over
began beating him with heavy iron rods,
circulate about the supposed blasphemous 7,000 workers, out of which 50 are Hindu.
hammers and scissors. Meanwhile, accord-
remarks Jagdish was said to have passed After the recent incident, however, most of

Newsline May 2008 | 67

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newsb
the Hindu workers have refused to come to
work and have confined themselves to their
homes in fear of retaliation from religious
groups. “Our parents are terrified and don’t
allow us to go out anywhere. I used to work
at Nova Leather but now I fear for my life,”
says Ram. Due to the increasing religious
extremism in the city, many Hindu workers
have changed their names. “My original
name is Jeevat but factory workers know
me as Javed,” says one worker in an inter-
view with Newsline.
“I find that minority workers feel threat-
ened, so they hide their original names and
castes from employers, co-workers and
even the community/neighbourhood they
live in. Members of the scheduled castes
living in the urban areas are losing their
identity by changing their names, as well
as the language they speak,” says Amar
Guriro, a journalist for an English daily.
Although three people who were
supposedly involved in the murder have
been arrested, the police are reluctant to
investigate the case. No action has been
A police mobile from the Korangi station
arrived at 12.30 p.m. to find the situation already
out of control: angry workers had broken the iron
gate of the security room, dragged Jagdish out
and began beating him with heavy iron rods,
hammers and scissors. Meanwhile, according to
eyewitnesses, the police, factory administration
and security guards remained silent spectators
throughout.
taken against the police officials who
failed to protect Jagdish from the angry
mob. According to the police, as Jagdish’s
parents haven’t filed an FIR against the
factory or the workers, they are unable
to arrest more suspects. The family’s
reluctance to file a formal complaint arises
not out of indifference, but because of the
possible consequences: “I will not register
a case against the murderers of my son
68 | Newsline May 2008
newsbeat
because if I pursue the case it may turn
into a clash between the two religions,”
says Pirbhu ji. Prakash, meanwhile, blames
the media. “We have been victimised by
the media which highlighted the murder
of Jagdish and reported that he was killed
on suspicion of blasphemy,” he says.
“Consequently, we are terrified to register
a case for fear of reaction from religious
groups.”
However, it isn’t just Jagdish’s family
that fears the religious groups, but also
the trade unionists in Korangi. “We cannot
demonstrate against the
murder of Jagdish be-
cause we fear retaliation
and severe consequences
from religious parties,”
says an active trade union
leader in Korangi.
Indifference on the
part of the provincial
government regarding the
case shows how minori-
ties, especially scheduled
castes, are neglected in the corridors of
power. Three weeks after the murder of
Jagdish, the family is yet to be contacted
by a government official. “Not a single
government representative has called on
us to convey their condolences,” says Om
Prakash. When the provincial minister for
minority affairs Daya Ram, an upper caste
Hindu, was contacted regarding the issue,
he stated, “Though I haven’t met with the
parents of the victim, I have been informed
that they aren’t ready to register a case
and do not want to pursue the matter.”
According to Ram, he brought up the issue
of passing a legislation to protect the mi-
norities in his meeting with Prime Minister
Yousuf Raza Gillani, who, in turn, supported
Ram’s ideas and has consented to work on
legislation regarding blasphemy. However,
neither the prime minister nor the chief
minister have issued a judicial inquiry re-
garding the murder. Meanwhile, some mul-
lahs believe it is kosher to kill in the name of
religon.
Maulana Asadullah
Bhutto, the leader of
Jamaat-e-Islami, stated, “I
have read about the inci-
dent in the newspapers, but
I don’t have detailed infor-
mation about it. However,
according to the Shariat,
a person can be punished
by the public if suspected
of blasphemy.” Muhammed
Sarwat Qadri, the president
of Sunni Tehreek, who also
claimed he didn’t have detailed information
regarding the incident, was of the view that
someone who has committed blasphemy
against the Prophet (PBUH) in the presence
of three witnesses can justifiably be killed.
“We have been living in the same neigh-
bourhood for generations and I have never
been discriminated by Muslims on the basis
of religion. How can Jagdish, who has so-
cialised with Muslims, commit blasphemy
against the Prophet, for whom we have the
utmost respect? In my heart, I know that
my son did not commit a sin and he was in-
nocent.” says Pirbhu ji.
Unfortunately, religious harmony in the
country is fast disappearing, and intoler-
ance in the shape of sectarian violence
and religious differences is rearing its ugly
head. Minority groups, who are already
socially neglected and economically de-
prived, believe they have become vulner-
able targets. Why has no one from among
the political leadership spoken out against
the atrocious crime committed on the
premises of Nova Leather? Their silence is
deafening. n