Irregularities in setting up of Haj committee in State flayed

BHUBANESWAR: The Jamiat-Ulma-I (JUI), a Muslim body, on Monday demanded the Government to form the Haj Committee immediately as it already crossed its deadline which would affect the process of the Haj journey of the Muslim community. They even alleged that the names which have already received the recommendation of the Chief Minister were not selected on the basis of population and majority of the community.

According to the JUI members, Muslims of three communities are living in the State from which 75 per cent belongs to Deobandi Sunni community, but only one person is recommended to the 14 members Haj Committee, while the Government has recommended 12 members to the committee from the Bareilly Sunni Muslim community having a little more than 24 per cent majority out of the total Muslims in the State which is unfortunate, they said.

On the other hand, the Government has recommended one member from the third community, Shia, having less than one per cent Muslim population in the State which clearly shows the irregularities in recommending the members to the Haj committee, the members alleged. Nobody got selected from the coastal district Puri and capital district Khurda to the committee, they added.

The JUI members handed over a memorandum to the Law Minister Bikram Keshari Arukh urging reconstitution of the 14-member Haj committee by giving emphasis upon Deobandi Sunni community. Maulana Nuruddhin Hafeez Embadulla, Maulana Nizam, Maulana Sirajuddhin, Sheikh Javed Ilahi and members of JUI were present at the Press meet.