HYDERABAD: In yet another shocking incident, a group of youth stabbed a man 16 times for adopting a Muslim girl child who lost her parents in the 2007 Hyderabad blasts.
The man, identified as Papalal Ravikanth, a temple painter allegedly attacked on June 1 has miraculously, survived and is recovering at the Osmania Hospital.
According to reports, Papalal found the little girl, Sania Fatima, at the blast site near Gokul chat centre at Koti and brought her home against the will of both Hindu and Muslim community. Papalal and his wife Jayshree decided to raise the Sania as a Muslim .
Papalal told News 18, “Sania Fatima lost her family in 2007 bomb blast. When no one came to claim her, we got her home. She brought lot of happiness to our family. We don’t believe in Hindu-Muslim, we believe in humanity. She is my eldest daughter and I will not leave her, no matter what.”
Jayasri, Sania’s mother speaking to portal, said, “The local Hindu boys were harassing Sania and teasing her as she is now grown up and studying in Class IX. My husband warned them many times and they had a grudge against him for raising a Muslim girl against the will of the community,” Jayasri said adding, ‘The attackers thought he (Ravikanth) was dead, but he survived’.
Now, after the attack, the couple said that they will not leave the girl in any circumstances asserting that they won’t force her to follow their Hindu religion.
“We have no problem if she follows Islam. We believe in unity and harmony and appeal every one to live in peace,” said Papalal.
A temple painter was stabbed 16 times by a group of youth in Hyderabad for adopting a Muslim girl who lost her parents in the 2007 Hyderabad blasts.pic.twitter.com/yDnUYOaJlt
— JK (@JaskiratSB) June 29, 2018