“They set both my auto-rickshaws on fire right in front of me,” fifty-four-year-old Sagheer Mohammad Khan, a resident of Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, recalls the horrifying night of Sunday when violence broke out in his neighborhood.
“I was hiding inside my own home, watching from my window as my rickshaws burned. My injured father, my daughter, and my wife were with me, terrified.”
Sagheer told Maktoob that around 11 PM, a mob gathered outside his house near the main square. It began with stone-pelting, injuring his father. Moments later, the attackers broke into his house and assaulted him.
“I somehow managed to save him. Some people from my own neighborhood told me to go inside, assuring me that things had gotten out of hand but I would be safe. The moment I stepped inside, they set my two auto-rickshaws on fire.”
Sagheer claims he has video evidence of the arson and has provided the names of the perpetrators to the police. Yet, despite his complaint, the FIR was filed against “unknown persons,” and no action was taken against those responsible.
Following India’s victory in the Champions Trophy, celebrations in Mhow took a violent turn, leading to communal clashes. Several vehicles and shops were torched. While the physical remains of the destruction have turned to ash, tension in the town remains high.
Local residents allege that police action has been biased, with authorities registering FIRs only against Muslim individuals while ignoring complaints from Muslim victims.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.
