A Muslim family in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi district has accused local police of staging a fake encounter and covering up custodial abuse, after one brother was shot in the leg and the other went missing.
According to the family, Saddam, a resident of Fakirabad under Sarai Akil police station, was arrested following an alleged police encounter, while his younger brother Alishan has not been traced since their detention. The allegations surfaced after a video went viral on social media, where family members accused the police of false tricks.
Ishida, the village head (gram pradhan) and daughter-in-law of the family, claimed police deliberately targeted her husband Saddam and brother-in-law Alishan following a local tiff.
“The police took both my husband and my brother-in-law. Later, they staged Saddam’s arrest in an encounter and shot him in the leg. But where is Alishan? We fear he will be killed too,” she said in a statement as quoted by the Clarion Media.
The Sequence of the Incident
The dispute began when Ishida’s father-in-law, Moin Ahmad, was assaulted in the Sarai Akil market by a group of allegedly intoxicated men. Hearing of the attack, Saddam and Alishan confronted the assailants, leading to a scuffle. Both were subsequently taken away by police.
Later, police presented Saddam as injured in an encounter, while Alishan has not reappeared. Moin Ahmad, who appeared in the viral video with visible injuries, accused police of twisting the narrative. “I was attacked first. My sons only came to rescue me. But police are trying to portray them as criminals. One of my sons is missing now,” he said as quoted by the Clarion Media.
The incident has ignited renewed criticism of Uttar Pradesh’s “encounter culture,” where police have often been accused of staging gunfights to justify arrests or custodial killings, disproportionately targeting Muslims and Dalits.
Local residents, too, have expressed doubt over the official version. “This seems like an attempt to silence the victims rather than punish the culprits,” said a villager on condition of anonymity.
As the video continues to circulate online, rights groups are demanding an independent investigation into Alishan’s disappearance and the shooting of Saddam.
