Delhi temple doesn''t allow Muslim man shradh for Hindu wife

New Delhi, Aug 10

A temple society here has denied a Muslim man a ritual for his dead Hindu wife saying the woman was no longer a Hindu after marriage even as she hadn’t given up her faith.

Imtiazur Rahman, who is based in Kolkata, lost her wife Nivedita Ghatak in the capital after she suffered from multi-organ failure last week--20 years after the couple married in accordance with the Special Marriages Act that allows inter-faith wedding of couples irrespective of their individual faiths.

Ghatak was cremated as per Hindu rites at Delhi's Nigam Bodh Ghat but the family could not perform 'shradh'.

Rahman, who works as assistant commissioner, commercial taxes, in the West Bengal government, said he had booked an August 12 slot at Kali Mandir Society in the Bengali-dominated Chittaranjan Park after paying Rs 1,300 for the ceremony on August 6. But he was later told by the temple society that his booking had been cancelled "for obvious reasons".

Ashitava Bhowmik, the president of the temple society, said Rahman's request could not be taken up for "more than one reason".

He alleged that Rahman "concealed his identity" and made the booking in his daughter Ihini Ambreen's name "which doesn't sound Muslim".

Bhowmik said "we got to know about his religious identity when a priest got suspicious and asked him his gotra".

“Obviously, he had no answer. Muslims don't follow gotra system. His wife can no longer be considered a Hindu after marrying the Muslim because a woman adopts the surname and belief system of her in-laws and becomes a part of that society," said Bhowmik.

He said, "It was done in keeping with the Hindu traditions and rites." When told that it was the last wish of the woman, who followed Hinduism, Bhowmik said, "Who knows the man may have an ulterior motive and can bring in his relatives inside the temple and start offering Namaz" there.

"What will we do in that case? Should we allow that?" he asked.

Bhowmik said if Rahman was keen on performing the ritual he should do that at home.

"Why insist on a temple in Delhi? Why doesn't he do it at home in Kolkata?"

Rahman countered the allegations saying faith is a personal matter for him and it had never hurt his relationship with his "practising Hindu wife" as she would perform any ritual the way she wanted and he would do it his way.

"This time I wanted to do it her way because she would have wanted me to do it like that. But I am not being allowed." IANS