By TCN Staff Reporter,
Varanasi (UP): It was a testimony which moved the audience to tears. When Abdul Rahman started narrating the terrible experience, people remembered that fateful day which created many chapters of pain in their lives.
He was referring to the indiscriminate police firing in Bazardiha on a peaceful and innocent Muslim crowd on March 11, 2009 during the festival of Holi. Two youths Mohammad Moin Akhtar (22) and Khalik-uj-jama (19) died in that barbaric incident
Abdul Rahman [Photo by PVCHR]
It was after that day only, that Abdul Rahman, who was otherwise a skilled weaver, became handicapped as his leg was severely injured in that police firing. At this stage in life he is just a handicapped person who can not work now and who requires others’ help to do any thing. He is in urgent need of money to undergo an operation, the only hope that he can walk again.
He was honored, along with Mr. Wasim Akram, Mr. Anup Chaubey, Mr. Ram Dayal and Mohd. Jahid Ansari, rest of the survivors of the police firing in Bazardiha, in a simple function organized here on August 14, 2010. It was organized in Madarsa Usmania, which is in front of police chowki, Bazardiha (weaver’s colony).
The honor ceremony started with prayer for the victims who died in that police firing. After that all the survivors narrated their experience and how they were tortured and victimized by the police. They were honored with the testimony and traditional white shawl. It was organized by Peoples’ Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), a human rights organization.
Talking to TwoCircles.net, Lenin Raghuvanshi, of PVCHR, pointed out that the basic purpose of behind organizing this ceremony was to give moral and emotional support to the victims of that indiscriminate police firing.
“Actually there is immense pressure on us and these victims to withdraw the FIR. We organized this ceremony to instill confidence among the survivors and motivate them to fight for justice. We also wanted to give moral support to them so that they don’t feel alone,” he added.
With regard to the indiscriminate police firing, FIR was registered against 8 people including three policemen.
People from different religion from the nearby area, participated in the honor ceremony