Will leave town if you retaliate: Cleric warns Muslims after riot mongers kill his 16-yr-old son

Upholding the Quranic message of peace and co-existence, the imam of a mosque in West Bengal’s Asansol, whose son was kidnapped and brutally murdered by communal elements during Ram Navami violence, has urged the Muslims not to take law into their hands.

Maulana Imdadul Rashidi’s 16-year-old son Sibtulla Rashidi was found dead, becoming the fourth victim of violence triggered by Ram Navami processions across the eastern Indian state since last Sunday. Sibtulla, who appeared for his Class X board exams this year, was reported missing after communal clashes in Rail Par area of Asansol on Tuesday afternoon. He was reportedly picked up by a mob. His body was recovered late on Wednesday night and identified on Thursday. He is suspected to have been beaten to death.

However, presiding over a congregation at Eidgah Maidan soon after performing last rites of his son on Thursday, Maulana appealed for peace and told the Muslims that he would leave the mosque and the town if there was any retaliation for his son’s murder.

"My beloved son is gone... But if you love me, then keep calm," said 48-year-old Maulana who is serving as Imam in the town for nearly three decades. “I want peace. I do not want any more families to lose their loved ones. I do not want any more houses to burn. I will leave Asansol if there is any kind of retaliation. If you love me, you will not raise a finger,” he added.

“I have been an Imam for the last 30 years. It is important that I give the right message to the people — a message of peace. I need to get over my personal loss. People of Asansol are not like this. This is a conspiracy,” the aggrieved Imam was quoted as saying by an English daily.

A senior police officer at the state police headquarters in Kolkata said they had received information that those involved in Sunday's violence (in the Asansol and Raniganj areas of West Burdwan district) were outsiders, according to news agency Press Trust of India.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also reviewed the law and order situation in the state. Three persons were killed in West Burdwan and Purulia districts and several others, including police personnel, were injured during Ram Navami celebrations.