Aftab Ahmed (Indian politician)

Aftab Ahmed is an Indian politician and the current Deputy Leader of Opposition of Haryana Legislative Assembly. He was first elected as an Member of the Haryana Legislative Assembly in 2009 from Nuh (Vidhan Sabha constituency). In 2019, he was re-elected^[2][3][4] and nominated as Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislative Party, Haryana. He has also served as Transport Minister, Tourism minister, Printing & Stationery Minister and Vice-President of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee.^[5][6][7][8]

Aftab Ahmed was born to Khurshid Ahmed and Firdos Begum. He has two brothers and one sister. His father was elected as Member of the Legislative Assembly from Punjab in 1962, from Nuh Assembly, Haryana in 1968, from Taoru Assembly, Haryana in 1977 and again from Nuh Assembly in 1987 and 1996. His father served as Cabinet Minister thrice in the Government of Haryana and was later elected as Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha in a bypoll election.^[6] His grandfather Chaudhary Kabir Ahmed was elected as Member of the Legislative Assembly from Nuh Assembly, Haryana in 1975 and from Taoru Assembly, Haryana in 1982.

He married Memuna Sultan and has three children. He did B.Com. from GGDSD College Chandigarh, Punjab University and LLB from MDU, Rohtak.^[6]

He started his political career in 1991 from Taoru and in 2013 he was inducted into the cabinet as transport minister.^[9][10] He has served Indian National Congress at organisational level in different capacities and also as chief whip of the Congress Legislature Party.^[11]

He is the current Deputy Leader of Opposition of Haryana.

The 1993 Mewat riots in the southern region of Haryana's Gurgaon district (modern-day Nuh district) erupted following the demolition of the Babri Masjid, triggering violence between the region's Meo Muslim community and Hindus. The unrest began on December 7, 1992, after rumors spread that Hindus in Nuh were celebrating the mosque's demolition, leading to Muslim mobs attacking Hindu temples in Nuh, Punhana, and Pinangwan. ^[12]

The violence, reportedly instigated by Aftab's father, Khurshid Ahmed, involved hired youth who ransacked and burned temples, and even committed atrocities like burning a cow alive. The police's delayed response escalated tensions, resulting in indiscriminate raids and alleged abuses against the Meo community, with many villagers fleeing their homes.^[12]

Tayyab Husain, and his son Zakir Hussain, who was an MLA from the neighboring Taoru constituency, were also implicated by some in the Muslim community. They were political rivals of Khurshid Ahmed and Aftab Ahmed and were accused of exploiting the situation to expand their influence among the Meos.^[12]

Politicians Aftab Ahmed and his father Khurshid Ahmed, were booked for instigating the riots and went into hiding, while former minister Tayyab Hussain and his son Zakir Hussain, an MLA from Taoru, were accused by some of exploiting the situation for political gain. Both communities were left distrustful of the police, who were widely criticized for their handling of the situation, and the region, previously peaceful, was deeply scarred by the violence.^[12]