A local Muslim fishing community leader in Gujarat’s Porbander has petitioned the Gujarat High Court for permission to euthanize himself and 600 members of his community.
On Thursday, Allarakha Ismailbhai Thimmar of Porbandar’s Gosabara wetlands submitted the appeal, decrying the fishing community’s declining economic status. The Gosabara Muslim Fishermen’s Society filed the application, alleging that “the government does not provide facilities to people belonging to a particular community.”
The petitioners are asking to end their lives due to “political persecution,” pending multiple submissions from the local level to the Governor. Dharmesh Gurjar, the petitioner’s lawyer, claims that boat mooring has been prohibited at Gosabara port since 2016. “Despite having licences, Thimmar and his community are denied their rights.”
Thimmar believes that authorities have been “harassing” his family because of their religion, and that Hindu fisherman are usually provided all facilities. The community has always been “loyal to the nation,” according to the petition, and has never engaged in “anti-national activities” such as smuggling. Instead, they’ve frequently “given information to security agencies” on such “sponsored by Pakistan and others” activities.
According to the petitioners, roughly 600 persons from 100 families have been working in the fishing industry for the past 100 years, and the Fisheries Department has granted them fishing licences.
However, the department’s administrators refuse to allow them to dock boats at Gosabar or Navi Bandar ports, and have been harassing them since 2016, causing them to suffer a lot of problems and wish to terminate their lives, according to the petition.
As quoted by ETVBharat, the petition says that “…otherwise Your Lordships may be pleased to pass such other and further appropriate order and direction, directing the concerned authorities for by and large collective euthanasia (Ichha Mrityu) for 600 lives of petitioner and his community to end their lives happily and wilfully as per their desires.”
