Sir — People like Imam Bukhari are best ignored. The title of ‘Shahi’ is a snub to the people of an independent democratic and secular country. This is a symbol of the times of the invading rulers who brought Imams from outside India for their mosques, even though Islam was here before their rule. People like the so-called Shahi Imam and his late father have had their share in creating communal tensions in India. I distinctly remember that there was some non-bailable warrant against his father, but Delhi Police could not muster the courage to serve it on him.
So, it is good that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, representing the hopes and aspirations of the people cutting across religious lines, is not going to visit an establishment representing the dynastic medieval rulers, as an invitee of this communal Imam.