In the wee hours of June 11, a day after protests broke out in Ranchi, a police convoy reached Alam’s home with his corpse and actively participated in arranging his last rites.
Swati Shikha | TwoCircles.net
RANCHI (JHARKHAND) — In the wake of protests over ‘derogatory’ remarks on Prophet Muhammed made by now suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma, the death of Mudassir Alam in Ranchi has shifted the spotlight to police’s handling of such situations.
After Friday prayers on June 10, 15-year-old Alam was shot by a bullet in his head during cross-firing between police and civilians.
He was rushed to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Ranchi and put on a ventilator. Around midnight, the family was informed that Alam succumbed to his injuries.
His family is yet to receive a copy of the postmortem report.
Alam’s family members told TwoCricles.net that government officials urged them to get done with the funeral rites at the earliest and police assured them that an FIR would be filed against those responsible for his death.
In the wee hours of June 11, a police convoy reached Alam’s home with his corpse and actively participated in arranging his last rites. “We already lost our child. We didn’t want to politicize his death. We buried him as per the administration’s instructions,” said Shahid Ayyubi.
The deceased’s uncle, Shahid Ayyubi, told this reporter that on June 12, the daily Market police station in-charge refused to register an FIR. “We called the DIG, a former SP and DC but all in vain,” said Ayyubi. With no option left, they called the press. The administration did not have any answers to their questions either. “Then we gave them an ultimatum that we’ll bring Mudassir’s body to the police station and protest against the administrative arbitration,” said Ayyubi.
Finally, the police registered an FIR but did not share the FIR number with the family.
At Alam’s house in Hindpiri, Mudassir’s mother, Nikhat Parveen (29), is inconsolable. She refuses to speak as her eyes constantly search for Alam, her only child. “He was here moments ago, I told him to not go for the protests,” she wailed. “He said that I will be back soon mummy, but where is he?”
Alam’s father, Pervez, sells fruits and vegetables on a cart. His son regularly used to accompany him. In the FIR, Pervez recollects that on the noon of June 10 around 3:30 PM, while selling fruits on his cart, he saw a crowd of protestors walking towards the Hanuman Mandir. As soon as the crowd reached the temple, his 15-years-old son joined the crowd.
Pervez has named Bhairo Singh, Shashi Sharad Karan, Sonu Singh and others for firing shots from the terrace of the temple as well as pelting stones in the FIR.
In videos circulated on social media, a group of Muslims can be seen pelting stones at people gathered at the terrace of the temple.
The pelting and shooting led to chaos and a stampede-like situation wherein the police resorted to firing.
Five policemen, who led the firing during the violence, have been named in the FIR.
Pervez firmly believes that his son died by the bullets fired by Bhairo Singh, Shashi Sharad Karan, Sonu Singh and the aforementioned police officials.
Meanwhile, Bhairo Singh, a Ranchi-based Hindutva leader has filed a complaint with the Cheif Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court alleging that his life is in danger as multiple Muslim organisations have threatened to murder him. Singh was the main accused in the attack on Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s convoy on January 4, 2022.
Rural SP Naushad Alam, who was present in RIMS and met with Mudassir’s family, told this reporter that he was not in a position to comment as the case was outside his jurisdiction. SSP Surendra Kumar Jha and the Daily Market station in charge declined to comment on this case.
Swati Shikha is a feminist journalist and development sector practitioner based in Ranchi.