George Floyd’s Killer Jailed, But Faizan’s Killers Are Forgotten

Video evidence sent George Floyd’s attacker to jail. But in India, no action has been initiated in Faizan’s case.

OPINION | US cop who killed George Floyd jailed, but Faizan’s murder has been forgotten. Image used for representation.  

(Image: The Quint)

Video Producer: Naman Shah
Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj, Mohd Irshad Alam
Camera: Shiv Kumar Maurya

Yeh Jo India Hai Na… Yeh democracy hai. Aur Yeh Jo USA Hai... Yeh bhi democracy hai (India and the US are democracies). But in the US, George Floyd gets justice, while in India, Faizan...gets no justice, he just gets forgotten!

On Friday, 25 June, the American policeman Derek Chauvin, who had been caught on video kneeling on George Floyd's neck for over 8 minutes and killing him, was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison. Just 13 months after the crime, in which a video shot by a bystander was the main evidence.

But what about Faizan? A video shot at Kardampuri during the northeast Delhi riots on 24 February 2020, shows Faizan and four others unarmed, badly beaten up, lying on the road, being kept down by the lathis of five to six policemen standing over them. Singing ‘Jana Gana Mana..’ in scared voices. Faizan died of his injuries two days after this video was shot.

In the USA, when the cop who killed George Floyd is brought to swift justice, President Biden himself calls it “a giant step forward” for the nation in the fight against systemic racism. He describes the sentence as appropriate. He even makes a phone call to George Floyd’s family to ease their pain. But what about Faizan’s family? Where is their phone call from their president? Where is their day in court? When the identity of those who killed Faizan is being protected by those who are supposed to find them, what chance does Faizan’s family have of ever getting justice?

Video Evidence Gave Justice to Floyd, but Not to Faizan

While video evidence has sent George Floyd’s attacker to jail for 22.5 years, in Faizan’s case, the policemen who were caught on camera – assaulting and abusing him and other four men – have, till today, been charged with nothing!

Even more shocking – till today, the Delhi Police has failed to identify the policemen in the video. And there is not one, but two videos. Another video shot from a distance, also shows the policemen, surrounding Faizan and the other men lying on the road.

Why were these videos not enough to identify the policemen? This video was clearly shot by one of the sadistic policemen, does Delhi Police expect us all to believe that they couldn’t figure out which cop shot this? Voice recognition, image enhancement, matching the locations of mobile phones of the policemen on duty in the area – was none of this possible? Was there no duty roster mentioning which policemen were at Kardampuri at the time the video was shot? And, simplest of all – the four men who survived the assault and abuse – didn’t they name the policemen? Or were they intimidated into saying nothing?

Not Even a Single Charge Filed

At the time, speaking to The Quint, the then Joint Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar had said that the policemen in the viral video could not be charged with murder, as they were not seen beating the men. Okay, but why were they charged with nothing?

Why weren’t they charged under Section 304A of the IPC – causing the death of a person due to a negligent act. The policemen were seen abusing an injured Faizan, instead of taking him to hospital. That was negligence, and the delay in taking Faizan to hospital could have caused his death.

They could also have been charged under Section 341 – for wrongful restraint – but even that was not in Faizan’s FIR. MOST importantly, these cops SHOULD also have been charged under Section 295A – insulting the religion or religious belief of another person – asking five Muslim men to sing the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was a clear form of communal abuse. Yet, no Section 295A is in the FIR for all these offences. ALL the more serious, as they were committed by the KEEPERS OF THE LAW. Even today, Faizan’s family does NOT have a copy of the FIR, nor a copy of his post mortem report.