Fifty-year-old Hindu-Muslim unity gets shattered after Shri Krishna Janmotsav committee Muslim chief axed for allegedly exposing Hindu leader’s scam
CHHATARPUR – A fifty-year-old tradition of Hindu-Muslim unity in Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh has been dealt a severe blow after Hindu organisations objected to a Muslim man heading the Shri Krishna Janmotsav celebrations, leading to the dissolution of the organising committee.
Jamal Khan, a respected former sarpanch, had chaired the festival committee for decades, not out of personal religious belief – as Muslims do not worship Krishna – but as a gesture of goodwill to maintain peace and unity. He would participate in the arrangements, wearing kalava on his wrist and tilak on his forehead, to respect Hindu sentiments and uphold the spirit of Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb – the long-standing tradition of cultural harmony between the two communities.
However, this year the committee was dissolved after protests from Hindu groups. According to several members, the real reason was retaliation for Khan’s role in exposing an alleged scam involving a local Hindu political leader.
“Jamal Bhai did nothing wrong. For years he helped organise the festival with respect. Removing him just because he is Muslim is an insult to harmony,” said Abdul Rashid, a long-time committee volunteer.
The dispute began when Khan reported to the administration that a Hindu leader had illegally built a house on a government drain, blocking the natural flow of rainwater. This, locals say, caused flooding in nearby homes.
Committee members allege that instead of addressing the illegal construction, the leader’s supporters launched a campaign on social media to remove Khan from his post, turning the matter into a question of religious control over the festival.
“This is not about faith. It’s revenge. Jamal exposed wrongdoing, and now they’re using religion to push him out,” said committee member Ramesh Tiwari.
For half a century, Hindus and Muslims in Bamitha, Chhatarpur, jointly celebrated Krishna Janmotsav. While Muslims did not share the religious belief, they took part in the organisation to strengthen communal ties. Locals recall that even in times of political tension elsewhere, their celebrations remained united.
“If they remove Jamal Khan today, tomorrow they may say Muslims cannot even attend the festival. Will they also erase the poetry of Raskhan because he was Muslim?” asked advocate Salim Qureshi, referring to the 17th-century Muslim poet who wrote verses in praise of Krishna.
Following the committee’s dissolution, local MLA Arvind Pateria instructed police to ensure the event still takes place. It will now be organised under police supervision, with the station in-charge and Khajuraho SDOP Manmohan Baghel acting as coordinators.
But for many, the wound will not heal easily.
“The festival will take place, but without the unity it once stood for. This is not just about a committee; it’s about the example we set for our children,” said Shabnam Khan, a teacher in Bamitha.
Incidents like this, observers say, are part of a larger pattern in states governed by parties linked to right-wing ideology, where communal differences are exploited to deepen divides. Chhatarpur’s case, they note, shows how personal grudges are turned into religious disputes, threatening the long-standing fabric of harmony.
