The Maharashtra State Minorities Commission has directed the Sindhudurg district police to investigate allegations that a 38-year-old Muslim flower vendor from Banda town died by suicide after being harassed by fellow shopkeepers.
A video recorded by the deceased, Aftab Sheikh, just before his death, surfaced in which he accused five people from the village of harassment and business rivalry. The video was later found by his family.
Family members have alleged that despite clear evidence implicating the accused, the police have failed to register a case. They have also refused to collect Sheikh’s body from the mortuary until the accused are arrested.
Sheikh Found Hanging at Home
Sheikh, a resident of Banda Muslim Wadi, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his bedroom on October 29. He had locked himself inside the room.
His wife, who was in an adjacent room, noticed something was wrong and alerted his brother, Abdul Razzak, who broke open the door. Sheikh was first rushed to a local hospital and later to a medical facility in Goa, where he was declared dead.
Family Alleges Threats and Forced Business Closure
According to local media reports, Sheikh’s mother claimed that he had been forced to close his flower shop for the last eight months after repeated threats from local rivals who prevented him from reopening.
Following his death, tension gripped Banda, located on the Maharashtra-Goa border, as a crowd gathered outside the sub-district hospital on Thursday night, demanding the registration of a criminal case against the individuals named in Sheikh’s video.
Video Blames Rivals for Harassment
In the video, Sheikh reportedly said he was unable to run his business or support his wife and child because of constant obstructions and threats from his competitors.
Minorities Commission Demands Accountability
Wasim Khwajabhai Burhan, a member of the Maharashtra State Minorities Commission, Mumbai, in a letter to the police on Saturday, stated that the video indicates Sheikh was being tortured and threatened, which may have instigated his suicide.
Burhan urged the police to register criminal offences against the accused and ensure their arrest.
“Despite a complaint filed by his relatives, no case has been registered and no arrests have been made yet,” Burhan said in his letter.“The question arises as to under whose pressure the Sindhudurg district police administration is working.”
