Rafia Naaz, a Yoga teacher from Doranda area, is once again on target of radical members from her community for following her passion. She has been regularly receiving threat calls since April this year and when she approached the top police echelon the senior police officer refused to entertain her complaint, said the teacher.
Rafia, who teaches yoga for a living and considers yoga to be beyond religion, has been targeted for daring to teach Yoga despite being a Muslim. Rafia Naz came into public focus after photos of her doing yoga with Baba Ramdev went viral on social media in 2017. The radicals from her community started targeting her and even making threat calls on her mobile. The then BJP government headed by Raghubar Das looking into the complaint of Naaz decided to provide her security. Two armed police personnel round the clock used to guard her.
However, this year after regime change in the State her security was withdrawn in March. She said, “After withdrawal of security in March, the threat calls, which I used to get increased. The radicals used to use all types of abusive languages.” She further said, “After the withdrawal of security fearing threat on my life I approached senior police officers including DGP, SSP and others but none of them entertained my complaint.” The Yoga teacher claimed, “I had written several mails to top police officers including DGP, SSP and even to officers at Chief Minister’s Secretariat but none of them even bothered to reply to my mail.”
The yoga teacher said, “Äs all doors were closed for me I had no other alternative but to approach BJP legislative party leader BabuLal Marandi. Naaz tied Rakhi to Marandi and sought help from him in connection.”
BJP leader Marandi raising the issue said that the State Government's lack of help and cooperation in this connection indicates that the government wants that in Jharkhand another woman become Malala Yousafzai. Malala is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate was shot by a Pakistani Taliban gunman in an assassination attempt in retaliation for her activism.
Marandi said, “The State should be proud of Rafia Naaz as despite threats from radicals she continued her passion. The State government has failed to provide security to her at the same time behaviour of some police officers towards Rafia is shocking.” Marandi said that he has even written a letter to the Chief Minister demanding security for the young yoga teacher. The former chief minister said that if the State government is unable to provide security to Naaz then they should give in written. Marandi said that he has sent the copy of his letter to the CM to the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister.
Marandi said, “As his letter to the Chief Minister with copy to Prime Minister and Union Home Minister is now on public domain Rafia Naaz faces more threat to her life. In such a situation it is the duty of the state government to provide security to the yoga teacher.”