Main plaintiff in Gyanvapi Masjid case seeks mercy killing amid pressure from fellow petitioners

Varanasi: Rakhi Singh, due to the false propaganda being spread against her by her fellow petitioners who sought court permission to worship inside the Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi, has written to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking approval for euthanasia as she has been subjected to immense mental agony.

Rakhi Singh, the main plaintiff demanding the right of daily worship inside the Gyanvapi Masjid, has made serious allegations against her fellow four petitioners and their lawyers, including claims of her withdrawal from the case, which is currently being heard in the Varanasi district court.

Singh, along with four other Hindu women plaintiffs, initiated the case in August 2021, seeking the right to perform daily worship at Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal within the Gyanvapi mosque complex.

In her letter to President Murmu, Singh alleges that her associates, including Lakshmi Devi, Sita Sahu, Manju Vyas, Rekha Pathak, and their lawyers, engaged in false propaganda and defamed her and her family in May 2022. She claims that a rumour was spread suggesting she was withdrawing the case, even though no such statement was issued by her or her uncle, Jitendra Singh Visen, who represents her in the case.

Singh expressed that the false propaganda has caused immense mental pressure and confusion within the entire Hindu society, leading her to consider euthanasia as a means of escaping the agony. She has requested permission for euthanasia from the President, setting a deadline for a response until June 9, 2023, at 9:00 am. If no order is received, she states that she will make her own decision.

This is not the first time Singh has publicly voiced her differences with the other plaintiffs. In September 2022, she opposed a petition for carbon dating of a disputed structure within the Gyanvapi mosque complex, with the Hindu side claiming it to be a Shivling and the Muslim side stating it is part of an ablution tank.

Senior advocate Harishankar Jain, representing four Hindu women plaintiffs, dismissed Singh's allegations, labelling them as baseless. Another plaintiff, Rekha Pathak, also refuted the claims, emphasizing their dedication to the case and asserting that the allegations made by Singh are false.

On May 23, the Varanasi district court ordered the consolidation and joint hearing of all seven cases related to the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi matter, with the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi case as the leading case. Additionally, on June 4, Jitendra Singh Visen announced that he and his family were separating themselves from all cases related to the Gyanvapi complex, citing a lack of resources and alleged harassment from various quarters.

As the Gyanvapi Masjid case continues to unfold, the allegations raised by Rakhi Singh have further added to the already intense legal and societal discourse surrounding the dispute over the right to worship and the historical significance of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi.