Singapore supermarket apologises for shooing off Indian Muslim couple from tasting free Ramzan snack
Singapore: A leading supermarket has apologised after stopping an Indian-origin Muslim couple from tasting its complimentary snacks provided during Ramzan, saying that those were only for Malays, according to a media report.
Jahabar Shalih, 36, and his wife Farah Nadya, 35, said a male employee at the supermarket run by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) on April 9 “shooed” them away from the snack stand when they were doing their usual grocery shopping with their two young children, Channel News Asia reported on Monday.
While Jahabar is Indian, his wife Farah is Indian-Malay.
Farah had on Sunday recounted the "distasteful" encounter in a Facebook post, which has garnered more than 500 reactions.
Jahabar told the Channel on Monday that he had decided to check out the ‘Iftar Bites station' in the supermarket after his wife alerted him to the initiative.
FairPrice Group rolled out its Iftar Bites station on March 23, offering complimentary beverages with snacks or dates at 60 of its outlets to Muslim customers during the month-long Ramzan period.
As part of the initiative, Muslim customers are given refreshments, such as canned drinks, 30 minutes before and after Iftar, and the meal taken after evening prayers during Ramzan.
These are placed on tables in the supermarkets, with a sign to Muslim shoppers to help themselves as they break their fast.
"I walked over just to read what was on the board because I thought it was generally a nice gesture by NTUC and it is. As I started reading it this staff from NTUC approached me and he told me 'no India' ... and I was like 'what'?," Jahabar said.
"He said 'No India, only Malay' and I was like 'that's strange'," he was further quoted as saying in the report.
When Jahabar asked the male employee what he meant, the man, who was not identified, only repeated that "Indians cannot take".
Jahabar then tried to explain that Muslims could come from the Indian community, and the staff member replied that he has received instructions from "people at the top".
"I just walked off, pretty frustrated, I continued shopping," he said, adding that his wife really felt that the incident should be brought up.
The FairPrice shop said it is aware of the post on social media, adding that it has engaged the couple "to address their concerns" and has closed the matter "amicably".
"We take this matter seriously and would like to apologise for the incident. We have since also counselled our employee accordingly.
"We would like to clarify that Iftar Packs are offered free of charge to all Muslim customers during the month-long Ramzan period," the supermarket was quoted as saying.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
