By Mahmodul Hassan
Near the Bhumiya Ka Pul area in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut city, off the crowded streets of the Jali Wali Gali, Zaheer Ahmed’s grieving family still awaits justice. The 45-year-old was one of the five men who died of bullet wounds, allegedly from police firing, during an anti-CAA protest in the city in December 2019.
Zaheer’s wife Shahjahan said, “Everyone is supposed to die, I will also die. But there should be justice. He died for no reason.”
After the Parliament passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on December 11, 2019, Uttar Pradesh, like several states across the country, witnessed massive demonstrations. The Act grants Indian citizenship under the assumption of religious persecution to any person belonging to the particular religious minorities of Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Parsis, Christians, and Jains from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, if they moved to India on or before December 31, 2014. It faced major criticism as Muslims were excluded from the list of eligible persons, with many calling the Act discriminatory and divisive.
Following the legislation, major cities in Uttar Pradesh – Kanpur, Aligarh, Bareilly, Lucknow, Varanasi, and Meerut – witnessed protests, that often turned violent with clashes between the protesters and the police.
The situation got particularly ugly on December 20 and 21 when 22 people died across the state during anti-CAA protests, according to a compliance report submitted by the Uttar Pradesh government in the Allahabad High Court in February 2020. The deaths were reported from Firozabad, Bijnor, Meerut, Varanasi, Kanpur, Rampur, Muzaffarnagar, Sambhal, and Lucknow.
Two years on, families of the five men – Mohammed Asif, Mohsin, Zaheer, Asif, Aleem – who were killed in Meerut, are still fighting for justice. News9 visited the families in Meerut.
“Our lives are shattered”
40-year-old Shahjahan recalled the day she lost her husband Zaheer, a cattle-fodder trader who was the sole earner in the family. Shahjahan alleged that her husband Zaheer died in police firing when he went out to buy a packet of beedi.
“He had just come from work and after he freshened up, he went to the nearby shop to buy beedi. He was standing in front of the shop when he was shot and fell on the spot,” she said. When the family hurried to the spot after having heard of the incident, she claims “Police personnel were there. Police shot at him. They (police) did not even check if he was dead or alive.” The family has been grappling with their lives after Zaheer’s death. “We recently got our daughter married. We are facing financial issues… our lives are shattered,” Shahjahan said, breaking down in tears.
26-year-old Mohsin, a scrap dealer from Meerut’s Gulzare Ibrahim locality, sustained gunshot wounds in his chest when violence broke out in the city on December 20, 2019. His family too claims that he was shot by the police in the market.
Mohsin’s mother Nafisa Begum said her son had gone to buy fodder, but returned dead.
After the Friday prayers and lunch “My son had gone out to buy fodder. I told him that I will bring it, but he insisted,” she recalled. “The police shot at him… my son did not return, he returned dead,” Nafisa said.
“Even this morning, his child was asking for him. We just say that their father has gone to Delhi to earn,” she added.
Imrana has been raising her four children on herb own after her husband, 33-year-old Asif, died during the CAA protest in Meerut. Asif too had taken gunshot wounds to his chest.
According to Imrana, Asif was returning from his sister’s house at Ghantewali Gali in Meerut, when he was allegedly shot by the police.
“After performing the jumma prayer, he went to his sister’s house at Ghantewali Gali. When he was returning home at around 4 pm, there was firing, he was shot in the back,” she said. “His body was brought home around 4 am the next morning after the post-mortem.”
Imrana was pregnant at the time. It was four months and 11 days after Asif’s death that their fourth child – a daughter – was born.
20-year-old Mohammed Asif, an e-rickshaw driver, was another victim of the violence.
His father Id-Ul-Hassan said his son was out for work. When he did not return at the usual time, the family searched, but could not find Mohammed anywhere. Finally, a boy from the neighborhood showed them a picture of what had happened to him.
“This happened after Jumma prayer, there was a demonstration and people were to submit a memorandum, I do not know what exactly happened after that… but my son took gunshot wounds to his chest,” Hassan said.
“It happened in front of the City hospital at Hapur road. We were informed by the person who took our son to the hospital. One hospital even refused to admit him. And in another hospital, he was declared dead,” he added.
36-year-old Mohammed Salauddin has been fighting for justice, after his brother Aleem Ansari, a dhaba worker, was killed amid the anti-CAA protests. Salauddin alleges that his brother was shot by the police while returning from work.
“My brother Aleem went for work to Kotwali. After jumma time, the situation got grim there. Police closed down shops,” Salauddin said, narrating the incident. “While my brother was returning, near the City hospital at Hapur road, police lathi-charged at the protesters, used tear gas. My brother was standing near an alley, he was shot in the head, he was shot by the police… Aleem died at around 4:30 pm.” In his police complaint, Salauddin has alleged his brother was killed in “indiscriminate” firing by the police.
“No FIRs registered” The families of the deceased said that even two years after the incident, no FIRs have been registered.
Id-Ul-Hassan said that he was unable to get an FIR filed in the Lisari Gate police station. Hassan further said that he wrote to many district and state-level officials, to no avail.
“It’s been 25 months now, no FIR is registered. I submitted applications to officials in Meerut and even Lucknow, in Delhi, Allahabad… but nothing happened. In the Lisadi Gate police station, they did not take our complaints. Then we approached the DM, SP, and NHRC, but the FIR is not registered. We want justice for our son… it was the police that fired the bullets,” he said.
Imrana, too, complained that she was unable to get an FIR filed on the death of her husband Asif.
Mohsin’s brother Imran and Aleem’s brother Salauddin had similar experiences.
“The FIR should be registered as soon as possible, the ones who shot him should be punished and it should never happen to anyone. My brother was innocent, he should get justice,” Imran said. “After the incident, when my elder brother went to register an FIR in the Brahmpuri police station… the police threatened him, snatched the papers and tore it apart.”
Following the incident, the family members of the deceased wrote to ADG Police Meerut Zone, SSP, Inspector General of police in Meerut, Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court, and also the National Commission for Minorities. Along with details of the incidents, the family members furnished names of police personnel they allege were involved in the shooting.
The police, however, claimed that the five people who died in Meerut were protesters killed by other protesters.
SSP Meerut could not be reached for comment. The piece will be updated when he responds to News9.
The families have now sought legal action. Advocate Riyasat Ali who has been representing the families of the deceased said, “We moved the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) in Meerut with cases under section 156(3) of the Code for Criminal Procedure (CrPC) 1973… Applications were also submitted to NHRC, investigation on this is underway.”
The section 156(3) of the Code for Criminal Procedure (CrPC) 1973 gives the magistrate the power to order an investigation.
The suit names about 150 policemen, “accused of murder under section 302 of IPC 1860,” he said.
The district magistrate rejected Mohsin and Zaheer’s pleas in February 2020. Ali filed a revision petition in Mohsin’s case in August 2020. Currently, the cases of Aleem, Mohammed Asif and Asif are pending.
“They will surely be punished. This may take time, but, Inshallah, we have full faith in the judiciary that we will get justice,” said Riyasat Ali.
“It is the hope that we live for, we hope to get justice,” said Imrana.
This story first appeared on news9live.com
