New Delhi: It was just four months ago that 20-year-old Shazia came to Delhi to marry her “doting husband” Shahid.
Now, two-month pregnant Shazia waits for her husband’s body, which will be taken to their native town, Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh.
Shahid was one of the 11 killed in the communal riots that have erupted in Northeast Delhi.
The 22-year-old auto-rickshaw driver was shot in his stomach around 3.30 pm Monday.
“He always used to come home for lunch to make sure I have eaten… He used to tell me, ‘Kha le Shazia, babu bhookha hai (Eat Shazia, the baby is hungry)…’,” she said as she struggled to speak. “Yesterday, he didn’t come, and instead news came that he has been shot.”
She continues to stare at the green bangles Shahid brought for her Sunday, a day before he was killed, and bursts into loud cries every few minutes. “What will I do now? What will I do with this child?”
Shazia has refused to eat anything ever since she got the news of her husband’s death. “I won’t eat until I see his body… These doctors are not letting me see his body… Do I not have the right to see his body?”
Shazia was brought back from Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, which has received the maximum number of injured people since Monday, to her relative’s house in Seemapur Tuesday. Shahid was brought dead to this hospital.
While coming back, her brother-in-law, Irfan, asked her to remove her burqa so that they could not be recognised as Muslim, Shazia’s sister Nasreen said.
“At our home, we don’t even look at our jeth (brother-in-law)… But today he had to do this because we cannot be seen as Muslims in Delhi,” she added.
According to Shahid’s family, he was driving his auto-rickshaw around 3.30 pm around the Bhajan Pura Dargah when he was shot in his stomach.
“It is the ordinary people who are going about their day or are simply stocking up ration, who are being killed,” said Irfan.
People in many of the affected areas in Northeast Delhi were frantically stocking up ration until Monday, fearing escalation of the situation.
Also read: ‘Hinduon ki ladayi hai… record mat kijiye’ — journalists under attack in Delhi violence
100 phone calls, but no one to take body to hospital
Mubarak Hussain’s blood-smeared body was lying on the streets of Babarpur’s Vijay Park colony for at least three hours after he was shot dead in the violence.
Hussain, 28, was shot at on his chest at 1.40 pm Tuesday and he died on the spot, said eyewitnesses.
“We made at least 100 calls to the police, but no one has come yet with even an ambulance,” Mubarak’s 18-year-old brother Sadakat told ThePrint.
Until 3.30 pm Tuesday, when ThePrint visited the spot, no police officer or ambulance had arrived to take Hussain’s body to the hospital.
Originally from Bihar’s Darbhanga, Mubarak was a labourer who had been living in Delhi for the last 10 years.
“He was a very hard working boy who was earning for our family back in Bihar as well. But Delhi is what he considered home,” said Sadakat, who was visiting his elder brother.
An eyewitness, Naeem Khan, told ThePrint that a man in a black jacket came from across the street and opened fire, killing Hussain. “The police stood there and watched,” he said.
‘No clarity on autopsy’
Of the 10 civilians who died in the violence, ThePrint met with the families of four, and all of them said that doctors at the GTB hospital have been non-committal about when the autopsy will be conducted.
“All of today and yesterday (Monday and Tuesday), they kept saying the post-mortem will happen in a few hours… Now they are saying come tomorrow,” Irfan said.
While some families are waiting hopelessly in front of the hospital’s mortuary, many have left after waiting endlessly.
“Policemen tell us dismissively ‘Jab milni hogi body, mil jayegi (The body will be handed over when it is supposed to)‘,” said Mudassir Khan, brother of Nazeem Khan, who too was shot Monday.
Nazeem, a 35-year-old, has left behind six children and a wife.
Asked if Nazeem had ever participated in anti-CAA protests in the last two months, Mudassir said, “Uska kabadi ka kaam tha… Kabhi itne paise hi nahi the ki pradarshan mein hissa lene ka waqt milta (He used to pick up garbage… He didn’t have enough money to take part in any protests),” he said. “Woh toh ration lene gaya tha (He had gone to fetch ration).”
While ThePrint could not meet families of any Hindu victims at GTP Hospital, but victims — both Hindus and Muslims — who have been injured with bullet injuries or due to stone-pelting kept coming in throughout the afternoon.
Ten civilians and a policeman have been killed in the violence so far, said the Delhi Police.
While the dead policeman has been identified as head constable Ratan Lal, the civilians have been identified as Mohammad Furquan, Sahid, Rahul Solanki, Nazeem and Vinod Kumar. Five others are yet to be identified.
“At this time, you cannot tell who is being killed and who is killing… Neta log bhashan deke chale gaye, ab Hindu-Musalman dono mar raha hai (Politicians came and went after giving speeches and now Hindus and Muslims are being killed,” said Sunny Singh, a bystander who rushed a Hindu man to the hospital on his bike, who was shot at in his waist.
‘Blame on Kapil Mishra’
The families of the victims, both injured and killed, held former Delhi MLA and BJP leader Kapil Mishra’s ‘incendiary’ speech responsible for the violence.
In a video tweeted Sunday, Mishra gave a three-day ultimatum to Delhi Police to clear roads in Jaffrabad and Chand Bagh where anti-CAA protests were going on. He had said if the police failed to do it, “we would not even listen to you if the roads are not vacated”.
Faqeel Ahmed, brother-in-law of Mohammad Furquan, another deceased, who was shot Monday said, “We never went to Shaheen Bagh or anything, but it was a peaceful protest… Ever since Kapil Mishra made that speech, things went out of hand.”
“If Modi or Kejriwal owe anything to the people of this country, they will make sure Kapil Mishra pays for the loss of lives of Indians,” he added.
Also read: BJP sees ‘conspiracy’ in Delhi riots erupting during Trump trip, wants timing investigated
go on with anti hindu anti natinalist reporting. good job doning bbc and alzagira
…..virju kisnaut
One sided reporting news channel .Ban this news channal
Do you guys even think before writing….6 Bache already and wife is pregnant wo bhi itni garibi main shows what these people want to make this country ….shame on you guys …..
A human being has been brutally killed and this is the crap you say! Shame on you!
These Muslims are accountable for this riots… Every Muslim countries are in support of Muslims only… You can go through the news channel like alzazira, bbc… They’re showing Hindu as accused in this riot.. Even Turkey and American President candidate Barnie sanders openly said about only Muslim mascaree only… And i m seeing even The Hindu News is Highlighting the loss of Muslims… Not Hindus who lost their life… Kuchh to karna hoga in Islamic radicals ka… Sarkar ko
Roots were planned to grab the international media attention, as US President is in India, as Shaheen bagh is not enough, another sit in protest.. for what? Against CAA is not at all a reason. It is obvious that the Muslim clergy, left parties nd the secular media is fuming on Modi decisions over triple talak bill, abrogation of article 370 and now the CAA… It is evident from the communal speeches at the sit in protests.. Their intention was to stop modi and they know the next step would be Uniform Civil Code…. And then the shops of all these mullahs, siculars and the left will be shut for ever…. Let’s wake up and see these ppl are defeated in the best interests of the nation.
Where is the list of policemen shot dead, hindus slaughtered.. IB officer slaughtered with sword, numerous hindus killed including hindu journalists, hindu temples burnt… Why is it so selective reporting? Why is it only happening in muslim majority areas? Why is it not happening in areas where hindus are in majority if really hindus wanted to harm…. Poor biased opinion making.. World know who is peaceful.. Doesn’t matter what and how many lies you say here with drafted videos
It’s not Hindus but it’s a handy work of a mob that belong to few politicians and parties, people’s like Kapil mishra who incited violence and the mob was supported by police, people’s like Kapil mishra must be arrested and punished, this is exactly repeat of Gujarat riots, surprisingly the same Amit Shah was Home minister Gujarat state and for India,
I agree with you. Al Jazeera and bbc channel both are showing anti Hindu and anti Modi face. Truth is Hindus are victims. All these terrorist funded channel should be burned.
Secularists and Liberals wont utter a word when radicalised muslim youths create havoc on roads and streets, however if a hindu does they wud be the first to jump their guns. Moslim youths take it auto drivers, taxi drivers are full of hatred against hindus….in mumbai as night falls, the moslim youths smoke ganja and drive their two wheelers in such a way that they endanger the life of others…they move in herds and one can never confront them…police also ignores them….but the Psuedo secularists and so called liberals are the worst people….six kids of an auto wala…what was his mission…bacha paid a karne ka kaark hana kho l ke bait ha hai…no sympathy with these people…
This was pure politics.
Anti-CAA protestors were well aware that once they will go violent, all their struggles so far will round up to zero and they will loose the building sympathy.
This is something to benefit the CAA agenda.
It is just some innocent … Even if there was a death of only one inoccent person – still no one should do this.
Some people turned so sadistically impossible they don’t want to open their eyes.
All communities of those areas are with affected, supporting each other, then from where did those outsider mobs came in..
And how can one even think it was not organized …
Woosh…
Not with any individual but my basic common sense is telling me this.
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I have seen some videos it side mainstream media and they represent the different story.
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I am expecting counter made up videos soon..
Videos in delay would always be a part of bigger conspiracy…
” Still Anti CAA has some sympathy left after all those unfortunate tragedies”.
I appreciate and thank to those journalist who risked their lives to get the truth out. There are only few left who are holding the strongest pillar of democracy…
Very biased reporting. Why it doesn’t mention that the anti Caa protestors wanted to gain attention during trump visit and internationalise the protest. Humiliating India and modi. They blocked metros and road from Sunday. As trump landed. Who advised them to do so
May be may be not! But muslim community don’t believe in US 😹😁😂… human violence if any jews or Christ died.. there z no violence if muslim kills hindu or hindu kills muslim… it’s not they support jews and so it’s wrong they just concern about there religion… and truth our international concern gand me daleee… tuje zaroorath padee gi jisko rubpe baroosa hee oo insaan pe dyaan nahee they thaa..
Modi saab ab thori sakhti karo bahut dekh liya ye Muslim desh ko todne ki baat Kar rahe he ye saale den hi Congress ki hai modi Saab desh ko saaf Karne ka time aa Gaya hai
Jai Hind Jai bharath
India/Hindu is fed up of these doggies, and there is need to throw them out, may be to Islamic countries, as these are consistently notorious and would be so not only for India but for the entire world.
Muslims and terrorism shall be seen as a global issue and world must do something about this well in time.
We are paying for secularism, but they wont change. Throw them out is the only way to peaceful HINDUSTAN, and all Hindu now need to be united and passionate to do this.
Not surprised on the article knowing your planting Hi du partisan view. Not worth relying but then thought shit needs to be called out. Poor Shazia husband died and she is pregnant. Sad. But no mention of others and policeman who got killed or acid thrown at them. Deplorable partisan article. But not surprised and it is people and papers like you, which makes people Flovent away from live let live approach .
PM having 8 siblings, UP CM 7 siblings & Tejasvi ydv 9 siblings.
These are politicians bot common civilans
The Current Generation Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, Parsis, Christians are producing way less children, so talk about current generation