Day After Supporting Beef Ban, Ajmer Dargah Chief Trashes 'Sacking' Rumours

New Delhi: The head priest of the famed Ajmer Dargah has rubbished reports that he has been sacked from his post after he called for a nationwide ban on cow slaughter besides seeking a law against Triple Talaq.

The Dewan of Ajmer Dargah Syed Zainul Abedin told News18 that the Dewan was appointed by the Supreme Court and no one can take charge of the position “except his eldest son Syed Naseeruddin Chishti.”

However, there were reports earlier that Abedin’s brother Syed Alaudin Alimi had announced that the “Dewan was being sacked for his blasphemous comments.”

Abedin has now accused his brother of being motivated by “radical thoughts”.

Earlier, IANS had quoted Alaudin as claiming he would become the ‘new Dewan’ with the support of the family. He said was not interested in the monetary benefits related to the post and said he would issue a fatwa against the Syed Zainul Abedin soon. “In consultation with Muftis, we will be issuing a fatwa against him. He is no more a Muslim,” Alaudin told IANS.

Abedin, however, remained firm that no one could challenge his authority.

“I was appointed by the apex court as the Sajjadanashin chief has to be the direct descendant of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. The person claiming to be the new Dewan has no locus standi to remove the Dewan from the post. There is a procedure to appoint a spiritual chief and a mere statement cannot change the facts,” said the Dargah Chief.

Syed Zainul Abedin said he was anointed as the spiritual head of the shrine by the Supreme Court in 1987 as he was the “most direct and eldest descendant of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti”.

He said his younger brother was motivated by “radical thoughts and elements”.

During the 805th annual urs of Ajmer Dargah, Abedin had called upon the government to impose ban on slaughtering of all bovine animals and sale of beef. Terming it as a root cause of communal hatred in India, he had also declared that he and his family were giving up consumption of beef.

The Dargah chief also came down heavily on the practice of Triple Talaq and called it against the tenets of Islam and the holy Quran.