He lay on the road, helpless and frantic, but the blows kept on coming. One by one, turning his body blue. The reason, ”his identity” the family alleged. His father intruded. Saved him but at the cost of his own life. It did not end here. His family reached out to police for help, for justice, only to hear that he (the child) will be sent behind bars instead of the perpetrators, making them weep for days. Without support. The crime? The family remains in oblivion.
On 17th February, earlier this month, a 35-year-old Muslim man was shot dead while allegedly trying to rescue his teenage son from an assault in northeast Delhi’s Nand Nagri area.
The victim, Mohammed Umar Din, was shot on Tuesday evening after he rushed to the scene upon receiving a distress call from his 15-year-old son, who was allegedly being assaulted by a group of youths while returning home from tuition.
“We were having tea when my son called and said, ‘Papa, they are beating me badly.’ We dropped everything and ran there. There was a huge crowd,” his wife, Rabiya, recalled, while talking to FoEJ Media.
According to her, Umar Din, the father, tried to shield their son but ended up losing his own life. “My husband took off his belt and threw a stone to save our child. We followed him (perpetrator) into the lane. He was coming from the front, firing,” she told FoEJ Media.
“He first fired in front of me, then in front of my son, and then at my husband. I kept screaming, ‘Don’t shoot, please don’t shoot,’ but he fired and killed my husband.” Rabiya said.
“How do I tell my children that their father is no more? How do I tell them?” she asked.
Within hours, Rabiya said, her family’s life had fallen apart but what followed the case is a spate of “injustice” she described.
Rabiya said that when she approached the police seeking justice, an FIR was registered but did not name all those she believed were involved. “There were four of them, but only one name is in the FIR,” she alleged.
When Rabiya questioned the omission, she claims she was threatened instead. “They told me to stay quiet and get out. They said they don’t want to see my file and that they would send my son to jail,” she said.
“My son has lost his father, and this is the justice we are being given, that they will put my child behind bars,” she said in a voice too heavy to pierce the hearts of people. “They say they are only concerned with the one who fired the shot,” Rabiya revealed.
“When I said my son was beaten too, they replied, ‘Your son is a goon, a troublemaker.’” she said.
She alleged that her son was thrashed mercilessly, to the point that he suffered dizziness. According to her, one of the assailants held his hands, another pulled him by the hair, and the group beat him with whatever objects they could find.
Sitting in her home, still in shock, she questioned the system. “What kind of justice is this?” she asked.
Days after the killing, Rabiya says she continues to live in fear. “I am scared of the others who were with the shooter. Can they not harm me and my son? I want them arrested too. I want justice,” she said.
“No one came to help me. Has the government not seen the video? Please give me justice.” she said.
Meantime, reports says that police have formed multiple teams to track down and arrest the accused, as a detailed forensic investigation proceeds to establish the exact sequence of events leading to the killing.
Forensic specialists have collected and documented evidence from the crime scene, and senior law enforcement officials said the investigation remains active and ongoing. Authorities added that efforts are underway to identify and apprehend all individuals involved as further details come to light.
