‘Why Did They Kill Him?’: Kin of Those Killed in Meerut Ask Police

At least five people lost their lives following anti-Citizenship Amendment Law protests in Meerut on 20 December.

At least 5 people lost their lives, during a protest against the Citizenship Law in Meerut on 20 December.

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Mohd Ibrahim & Varun Sharma

“We want justice, why did they kill my father? After returning from work he went out to get some groceries. He was shot in the head. Who killed him?” asks Shahana, daughter of the 45-year-old Zaheer, who lost his life to the violence following the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Meerut on 20 December. At least five people, including Zaheer, were killed.

The deceased have been identified as Mohsin, Aasif, Zaheer, and Aalim – all residents of Meerut, with only Asif being from Delhi, Inspector General Alok Singh said. The Quint met the families of the deceased and tried to understand how exactly a protest turned deadly.

Imraan, brother of the 28-years old Mohsin, who was killed on 20 December, said,

“Mohsin has two kids, both of them will be orphans now. He had gone out for work that day, the protest turned violent and he was shot in the chest. By the time we reached the hospital, the doctor declared him dead. We had to initiate the procedure of post-mortem, the police did not help us. We have not got the reports yet. The police are saying he died because we were firing bullets amongst ourselves.”

Who Fired? ‘Yellow Uniform’

Zaheer’s brother Shahid said,

“The bullets were shot by someone who was with the police and wearing a yellow uniform. If the crowd had fired, then the police would have been hurt, not my brother.”

‘Who Will Get Justice?’

Asif, a 35-year-old from Firoz Nagar, was also killed during the protest. Asif’s mother-in-law said,

“Who will get him justice now? We were not allowed to see the body for the last time, police buried the body the very same night. My daughter is pregnant and she is now a widow. What will happen to the kids?”

Marking a statement about the incident, the police have claimed they did not fire at all. Then the question arises, who is responsible for these three deaths?