Muslim pilgrims have said they had to suffer a lot during their travel due to poor management by Central Hajj Committee (CHC) of Nepal. They said they were mistreated during their stay at Mecca and Medina of Saudi Arabia. [break]
Tautani Shah, 53, of Damauli, Tanahu district, said CHC did not make proper arrangements for food and accommodation of the pilgrims. “We were left on our own during our stay in Saudi,” said Shah, adding that the pilgrims from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and other countries did not face any trouble during their stay in Saudi Arabia.
“CHC only collected money from us. But did not make proper arrangements for food and accommodation of the pilgrims,” she said.
Akbar Ali, 68, also from Damauli, Tanahu, said representatives and volunteers of CHC were indifferent to the plight of pilgrims. “CHC representatives and volunteers never visited us. It was their responsibility to accompany us,” adds Ali.
“Some of the Nepali pilgrims were not provided with food for five days. Hajjis were unaware of the location of the hotels. Even as the pilgrims fell sick there was no medical support from CHC,” Ali said.
“Though CHC returned a part of the money we paid for the pilgrimage, most pilgrims are yet to receive their money,” said Mohammad Jamalludin, 33, of Rautahat district. “CHC is of no use and should be dissolved. It has only been promoting corruption. Hajj committees should instead be established at the district level,” said Jamalludin.
He also said that they had beaten up CHC Chairman Mikrani and general secretary Abdul Kalam as they were not running the committee in a transparent manner. He said CHC officials get assaulted every year as their activities are not transparent.
Even in the past committee members were attacked by Hajjis during their pilgrimage. This time around too, CHC officials were assaulted.
Refuting the accusations, Kalam said, “We were assaulted brutally but it is difficult to fulfill the needs of each of the 1,037 Hajjis. We tried our best to manage things properly,” says Kalam.
However, Hajjis have also accused CHC of charging Rs 190,000 per pilgrim. Nevertheless, Mohammad Samim, an Islamic social activist, said Nepali Muslim pilgrims do not behave improperly. “CHC officials were assaulted because of their opaque activities.
CHC officials are political appointees and politics dominates CHC activities. They join the committee with the aim of earning easy money through bribery,” said Samim.
When Hajjis raised the issue of being overcharged by CHC, the committee was compelled to return around NRs 22,500 to some of the pilgrims. “When Hajjis strongly raised their voices CHC Chairman Ali Akbar Mikrani took the initiative of returning the overcharged amount,” said Noor Khan, another Hajji. However, the committee hasn´t returned the money to all the pilgrims.
The pilgrims said their total expenses, including their personal expenses, during their pilgrimage stood at around NRs 400,000.
Kalam further informed that Sakoor Miyan, a Hajji from Sunsari district, breathed his last on October 11 due to Asthma. But Hajjis have blamed CHC officials for his death. “At a time when Hajjis were sick, none of the CHC officials visited us,” said Jamalludin.
Altogether 30 Nepali Muslim pilgrims performed Hajj under “guest of King” quota of the Saudi government. “The Islami Sangh Nepal, among other Muslim organizations, picked Muslim scholars for Hajj under the guest quota, which is fully funded by the government of Saudi Arabia,” said Kalam.
However, Muslim Imams claimed that these quotas were meant for poor Muslims who can´t afford to Hajj pilgrimage. “Muslim organizations have picked 30 Muslims under the guest quota. But hardly any of them are scholars,” says Samim.
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