Mahashay Rajpal may have been the first person in India to be forced to give his life for the freedom of expression. He served as one of Arya Samaj’s first polemicists, promoting the organization’s beliefs and ideals. Arya Samaj influenced him due to his involvement with Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati, an activist for social and religious reform. The Arya Samaj was formed to purify the Hindu community of social issues and religious superstitions, which he believed were vital. Rajpal lived and worked following the moral values of India.
During that time, there has been a flurry of significant social, religious, and political activities in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab. More than a hundred satirists worked at the Arya Samaj’s headquarters in Lahore. They were capable of spreading the Sanatana Dharma throughout the nation, which was a huge accomplishment. Active members of the Arya Samaj in Lahore were among the first to leave for Malabar to support Hindus during the Mappila riots. They were among the first to do so on a mass scale. Arya samaj roots ran deep in the city of Lahore before India was partitioned.
Rajpal was actively involved in some Arya Samaj activities, emphasizing those centred in Punjab. He was well-known for his philanthropy. A tireless fighter for the Hindu community throughout his life, he was also a remarkable publisher. He, among other things, stood out in his writings for truth and Sanatana dharma.
Rajpal began his publishing career in Lahore in 1912 as a publisher for a company called Rajpal & Sons, where he gained his first experience as a professional publisher. This establishment functioned as the primary gathering site in Lohore for activists from social organizations such as the Arya Samaj. During the meeting, there were numerous interfaith discussions and exchanges of perspectives. Everything was going place in a very tranquil environment. As a result of these debates, the inhumanity and complexity of religious limitations imposed by foreign religions were brought to public discussion. The peaceful atmosphere did not persist for long due to the animosity of some radical Sunni Muslims. These extremists were continually looking for opportunities to incite Hindus to violence. They were influential in their endeavours in this regard. On the other hand, the Arya Samaj would have replied on the same terms as Hindus had they responded to the doctrinal challenges encountered by fanatical Islamists. Rajpalji was forced to give his life in his duties due to a theological debate of this nature.
A radical Muslim group released two booklets in 1923 to upset Hindus and the Arya Samaj by disparaging Lord Krishna and Maharshi Dayananda Saraswati, among other things. The handouts were intended to encourage Hindus and members of the Arya Samaj to rioting and armed confrontation. Two volumes were released: Krishna Teri Geeta Jalani Padegi (Krishna your Gitawil be burned down) and Unniswin Sadi Ka Maharshi (Nineteenth-Century Maharshi). They have also produced a pamphlet where Sita mata is depicted as a prostitute. They intended to convert Hindus to Islam after humiliating. During that period, no one dared to express their dissatisfaction with these pieces of work.
After promising himself that he would react to the publications with facts, Arya Samaj leader Pandit Chamupathi penned Rangeela Rasool in response to the publications. In this book, the author examines the relationship between the Prophet Muhammad and his female companions in Islamic society. Immediately after this occurred, Rajpal expressed his enthusiastic support for the concept, which resulted in its publishing in 1926. The reaction of extremist Muslims was swift and retaliatory. In order to ensure confidentiality, Rajpal withheld information about the authors who contributed to the book’s creation.
On the other hand, Muslim fundamentalists focused their attention on Rajpal, the individual who had published the book in the first instance. In order to safeguard the great scholar Pandit Chamupathi, Rajpal had to muster up the necessary fortitude. The publication of Rangeela Rasool catalyzed turmoil that erupted in many sections of Punjab.
Gandhi became upset with this incident.” The local administration must ensure that the circulation of Rangeela Rasool is withdrawn and that the writer and publisher are legally punished,” he wrote in his weekly Young India in response to the Hindu uprising. As a result, Gandhi was honoured to be known as the “Defender of Islam.” The outrage that did not occur when Lord Sri Krishna, Gita and Sita were insulted erupted in Gandhi.
In response to tremendous pressure from Sunni Muslims, the Punjab government filed a criminal complaint against Rajpal and detained him. After more than four years of judicial proceedings, Rajpal was found not guilty by the Rajasthan High Court. After ruling that Mahashay Rajpal’s book Rangeela Rasool contained nothing unique and that all of the content had been taken from the teachings of Islamic scholars, the court ruled in favour of Rajpal. During his court appearance, Rajpal proved that Rangeela Rasul is extracted from the hadith of Sahih Bukhari, widely considered the most authoritative book on Islam.
A group of people who believe Muhammad has been insulted have sworn to do whatever actions are necessary to punish the individual they believe has done so. All around the city, mosques were filled with people listening to religious talks on the dangers faced by Islam. In the words of Islamists, Rajpal had insulted the Prophet Muhammad, and they desired to have him killed due to his actions. Following this, on April 6, 1929, a religious zealot named Ill-um-Uddin ruthlessly stabbed Mahashay Rajpal to death with a long knife. Violence erupted across the country due to this. Ill-um-Uddin was found guilty of murder the following year and condemned to death by hanging. He died the following year. The late Ill-umu-Uddin Auliya is widely regarded as Pakistan’s national hero
The British government amended the CrPC in response to the Rangeela Rasool case one year later, making it a criminal offence to criticize the founders or leaders of any religious organization. As a result of this decision, Section 295 (A) of the Blasphemy Act was enacted.
Mahashay Rajpalji was forced to lay down his life to ideologically defend the Sanatana Dharma due to the unprecedented propaganda war undertaken by Islamist groups.
The assassination of Rajpal is discussed extensively in Ambedkar’s book Pakistan or the Partition of India.
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