By Aliza Noor
Never before had Unnao experienced Holi in the way the festival took a tragic turn on 14 March 2025. In the middle of Ramzan, Mohammad Sharif, 58, a local was killed because he refused to be smeared with Holi colors.
Sharif was a tanker-driver in Saudi Arabia and had returned to spend Ramzan and Eid back home. His wife, Roshan Jahan, 54, had longed and prayed for his return. To finally be able to see Sharif celebrate Eid with their five daughters and a son after years.
With tears in her eyes, Roshan’s voice choked as she said, “After 17-18 years, he would have celebrated Eid with the family. My son, who is now 16, could not even celebrate a single Eid with his father.”
Sharif’s story is the struggle of a family to be prove his death as a ‘communal murder’ while also facing an FIR. But how did these events transpire? The Quint visited Unnao to look into the case and its aftermath on the family.
‘As Opposed to Post-Mortem Report, Sharif Had Injuries’
It is pertinent to note that the police first claimed that Sharif fell and died, they later changed their statement and said that the post-mortem report revealed that he had a cardiac arrest. Adding that no injury marks were found on his body.
This story was originally published in thequint.com. Read the full story here.