Doranda sub-inspector Abid Khan’s religion was brought up at a protest demanding justice in the murder of a BJP worker.
New Delhi: The murder of a BJP worker in a Muslim-dominated locality in Jharkhand’s Doranda this month stoked protests that served as an appalling symbol of our polarised times for a 25-year police veteran.
The same day the worker was shot dead, 18 July, a group of protesters surrounded the police station demanding justice. As the agitation went on, one of the protesters, a woman, reportedly brought up sub-inspector Abid Khan’s religion to allege deliberate inaction.
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Footage from the aftermath shows a harried Khan proclaiming to the crowd, “Kyunki hum musalmaan hain, kya yehi hamara gunaah hai (Is my crime being a Muslim)?”
The video has since gone viral, thanks to its depiction of a police officer’s bid to defend his dedication to the uniform in the face of baseless insinuations.
Talking to ThePrint, Khan said, “No honest man should have to hear such words.”
“A woman in the crowd said I was incompetent, that I wasn’t doing my job properly because of my religion. It pinched me. I have been a police officer for 25 years now,” he said.
When asked if such an incident had happened before, Khan, who has served extensively in Bihar and Jharkhand, said, “Not really. There may have been an underlying implication about my religion, but it has never been this explicit before. The impunity to say such things to a police officer didn’t exist earlier.”
Khan, who is still reeling from the incident, has been working in Doranda for the last 11 months. He refused to recount the slurs thrown at him.
How the trouble began
On 18 July, BJP member Dhiraj Ram was shot dead near his home in Doranda by bike-borne men. “The murder took place in a Muslim-dominated area,” Khan told ThePrint.
Soon after, men and women, including Ram’s family, surrounded the police station demanding immediate action. One of the protesters turned particularly vicious, hurling religious slurs and abuse at Khan.
“The investigation was proceeding at its pace. We had conducted the autopsy. We were about to make arrests. Our DSP (deputy superintendent of police) was sitting there as well. It was uncalled for,” Khan said.
According to Khan, the DSP, Rabindra Kumar Singh, rebuked the crowd for acting in such a distasteful manner.
‘It was a spontaneous reaction’
The video shows an agitated Khan asking the protesters whether he was a murderer, a thief, or a dishonest officer. He can be seen repeating “is my crime that I am Muslim?” as others try to calm him down.
Asked what exactly was going on in his mind, he said, “It was a spontaneous reaction. The things they said were provocative. I’m trying to forget about it now.”
“I’m a police officer; I’ve seen good people and bad people. Protests are a normal occurrence, but such behaviour is new. People no longer want to understand,” he added.
“Zindabad, murdabad chalta rehta hai (Sloganeering goes on). But, now, one in every 100 people makes a comment like this. It’s just saddening,” he added.
Four people suspected of involvement in Dhiraj Ram’s murder were arrested Sunday. They were identified as Md Ali Khan, Md Arif, Md Salman Ansari and Md Chand Ansari.