Bareilly,

02 May (HS): The corpse of a 35-year-old Muslim cleric was discovered on

railway tracks here, with a family members suggesting he was pushed from a

train, a charge disputed by police, authorities said on Saturday. According to

Bareilly Superintendent of Police (City) Manush Pareek, the corpse was

recovered on the morning of April 27 along railway tracks near Lal Phatak,

under the Cantt police station jurisdiction. According to eyewitnesses, the

dead, Maulana Tausif Raza Mazhari of Thakurganj, Bihar, fell from the train. Police

contacted the cleric's family members and local religious officials, and

discovered that he had traveled to Bareilly to attend the 'Urs-e-Tajushsharia'

festival on April 24-25.

There

has been no official complaint submitted thus far, and it is unclear whether

there was an assault or robbery involved, according to police. The corpse has

been submitted for a post-mortem examination, and an investigation is ongoing,

according to officials. However, All India Muslim Jamaat President Maulana

Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi said that the priest was beaten by anti-social

elements aboard a train on his way home and thrown off during an attempted

theft. He further alleged that during the attack, the priest contacted his

wife, Tabassum Khatoon, and narrated the incident. Razvi stated the police have

promised an unbiased inquiry and action in the situation.

According

to Tausif Raza Mazhari's wife, Tabassum Khatoon, her husband contacted her

about 10.30 p.m. on April 26 to alert her that fellow passengers were hitting

him and accusing him of theft. The phone was turned off shortly afterward.

Social

media photos depict large demonstrations in Thakurganj, Bihar, where a candle

march was staged to seek justice for Maulana Tousif Raza Mazhari, a 30-year-old

cleric whose body was discovered beside the railway lines in Bareilly on April

26.

According

to Bareilly Junction GRP SHO Sushil Kumar, Raza was going to Siwan on a general

ticket. The corpse was discovered under the jurisdiction of the Bareilly

Cantonment police station. GRP has no direct role; any subsequent

investigations will be handled by the relevant local authorities.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi