New Delhi: Four-month-old Mohammed Jahaan accompanied his mother almost every day to the Shaheen Bagh demonstration where he was a favourite with the protesters who would take turns to hold him and often draw the tricolour on his cheeks.
Jahaan will not be seen at Shaheen Bagh anymore. He died last week after acquiring a severe cold and congestion following exposure to the winter chill at the outdoor demonstration. His mother is, however, undeterred and determined to participate in the protests, saying it is “for the future of my children”.
The infant’s shattered parents, Mohammed Arif and Nazia, live in a tiny shanty put together with plastic sheets and cloth in Batla House area and have two other children — a five-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son.
Hailing from Bareilly in UP, the couple is barely able to make ends meet. Arif is an embroidery worker and also drives an e-rickshaw. His wife helps him in his embroidery work.
“I haven’t been able to earn enough in the last month despite driving the battery rickshaw in addition to my embroidery work. Now with our baby’s demise, we have lost everything,” he said, showing a picture of little Jahaan wearing a woolen cap that read ‘I Love My India’.
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A visibly disturbed Nazia said Jahaan passed away in his sleep on night of January 30 after returning from the protests.
“I had returned from Shaheen Baag at around 1 AM. After putting him and other kids to sleep, even I went to sleep. In the morning, I suddenly found him motionless. He was gone in his sleep,” she said.
The couple said they took their motionless baby to the nearby Alshifa Hospital on the morning of January 31 where he was declared dead on arrival.
Nazia, who had been visiting the Shaheen Bagh demonstration everyday with Jahaan since December 18, says that he died after catching a cold that turned lethal.
She said she didn’t realise that his congestion was so severe. However, the baby’s death certificate issued by the hospital does not mention any specific reason for the death.
Shazia, a neighbour who was present at the couple’s home, said Nazia had fought with her mother and husband to visit Shaheen Bagh everyday. Nazia would gather all women in the bylane outside her house so that they could together walk to the demonstration, around 2 km away. Sometimes, Arif would drop some of them to Shaheen Bagh on his e-rickshaw.
Nazia said she strongly feels that the CAA and NRC are against the welfare of all communities and will join the Shaheen Bagh protests, but this time without her children.
“Why was I doing this? For my children and the children of all us who need a bright future in this country,” she told PTI.
“The CAA divides us on religion and should never be accepted. I don’t know if there is politics involved but I know that I must question what is against the future of my children.”
Arif, however, blamed the NRC and CAA for his child’s death.
“Had the government not brought CAA and NRC, people would not have protested and my wife would not have joined them, my son would have been alive,” he said.
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It is frightening how easily Muslims can be brainwashed. 4 month old baby is dead and the mother has no remorse, she’s even ready to sacrifice remaining two children and for what? CAA – which doesn’t even affect the Indian Muslims? or the NRC – which is not even in picture yet? Blood of this child is really on the hands of lunatic left wing activists who are provoking and brainwashing these gullible Muslims.
Section 317 in The Indian Penal Code 317. Exposure and abandonment of child under twelve years, by parent or person having care of it.—Whoever being the father or mother of a child under the age of twelve years, or having the care of such child, shall expose or leave such child in any place with the intention of wholly abandoning such child, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine, or with both. Explanation.—This section is not intended to prevent the trial of the offender for murder or culpable homicide, as the case may be, if the child dies in consequence of the exposure.https://indiankanoon.org/doc/9383/
Bravo Jihadi. One less jihadi and tukde tukde gang member in the future.
Seeing 5 year old spewing venom on tv was fast forward to reality check.
In the garb of Indian flag and constitution these radicals and jihadis will go to any extent till they become majority…
#mooplah #directactioncalcutta #kashmirihindugenocide will be back in no time.
I was moved by this story. Our Government is tone deaf and made of uneducated bigots who are too busy spreading the communal virus all over India just to capture power. Their ultimate aim seems to be to change the nature of the Indian state, people be damned.
Led by a narcissistic, machiavellian and psychopathic demagogue who has few moral scruples, they might well succeed, especially since the opposition has given them a walk over. In such a situation all that is left is for people to come to the streets and fight for justice.
Stop blaming others for your own carelessness, do some self intorspection, idiot.
I support the CAA NRC protest. But young children should not be put in the brutal weather. The parents are responsible for the well being of the child.
Seize the remaining kids and put these irresponsible parents into jail for culpable homicide not amounting to murder
Who cares, its just another day for them, greif sicken parents found enough consciousness to play the blame game days after their lad passed away. Mom was so responsible that she found enough time to leave home everyday but couldn’t spare enough time to check whether his kid is doing well or not, you can’t blame government if one’s infant dies of pneumonia bcoz he didn’t received treatment on time, you are responsible for your own deeds, shameless ppl. They dont give a f about their kids, for them its just another day, they will make another baby thats why they were so negligent about his health.