IAS Mohammad Iftikharuddin found guilty of conducting Islamic conversions

IAS officer Mohammad Iftikharuddin has been found guilty prima facie in the investigation carried out by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for conducting Islamic conversions. The SIT was constituted immediately by the Yogi Adityanath government after incriminating videos of Iftikharuddin preaching about religious conversion went viral on social media platforms.

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According to an Amar Ujala report, after completing the investigation in under 20 days, the SIT sent the investigation report to the CM’s office. In the 550-page investigation report, objectionable content of literature and videos has been included as evidence, which confirms that the senior IAS abused his position and brainwashed people to convert to Islam. The final decision on Iftikharuddin’s future is expected within the next 24 hours.

IAS converted people to Islam

As reported by TFI last month, Iftikharuddin found himself in the midst of a raging controversy, after un-dated videos went viral on social media platforms of him carrying out propaganda against Hinduism. In one of the videos, Iftikharuddin could be seen preaching a group of skullcap-wearing Muslims about ‘religious conversion’ at what appeared to be his official government residence.

“Declare to the people of the world that the sovereignty and authority of Allah are to be established in the whole world.” he could be heard in the clip.

The allegations were first leveled by the National Vice President of Math Mandir Coordination Committee Bhupesh Awasthi. The 1985 batch officer, who was posted in Kanpur between 2007 and 2018 in various positions and is currently posted in Lucknow as chief of the state’s Road Transport Corporation, espoused the vitriol with some nuance and assuredness, despite being a civil servant.

Read More: IAS officer Mohammad Iftikharuddin must be sacked

In one of the other videos, Iftikharuddin was seen sitting on the floor and basking in the radicalism of another speaker, supposedly a Maulvi, preaching about conversion. The speaker cited a derogatory and by most estimates, the fictitious story of a man in Punjab who converted to Islam.

“Recently, a man from Punjab converted to Islam. When I asked him the reason behind conversion, he said the death of his sister. When I asked for details, he said that when his sister died, she was burnt. Her clothes burnt off and she was naked. People were seeing the naked dead body of my sister. I could not bear that and come out. I thought the same would happen to me. People would watch me naked. The thought of such a thing happening in the future made me convert to Islam.” the maulvi remarked in the video.

Sack Iftikharuddin:

Iftikharuddin’s narrow worldview regarding other religions and the supremacy of Islam does not make him fit for holding a space in the civil services sphere. After the SIT ascertained the allegations, the UP government should terminate him from the services, with immediate effect.