On the afternoon of February 24, as communal violence roiled North East Delhi, three men stepped out of their homes. One wanted to look for...
On the afternoon of February 24, as communal violence roiled North East Delhi, three men stepped out of their homes. One wanted to look for his child. The others, his long-time neighbours, decided to accompany him in the search.
They briskly walked together the labyrinthine lanes of Brijpuri, where they had lived all their lives, towards the main road that connects Delhi with Uttar Pradesh. As soon as they reached the main road, two of them – 39-year-old Rahis Ahmed and 32-year old Shakir – were rounded up by paramilitary troops of the Rapid Action Force and tossed into a police vehicle.
The third man, 56-year-old Harish Kumar Garg, was let go – according to him, because he told the security personnel he was Hindu.
‘They asked me what my name was’
Ahmed is a hawker. Shakir works in the family textile business. Both are currently in Mandoli jail, charged with rioting, carrying deadly weapons, unlawful assembly and destruction of public property.
Garg, who runs a machinery business, said he was a few steps behind when Ahmed and Shakir were apprehended by the security personnel. When they spotted him, the security personnel summoned him as well, he recalled.
“They asked me what my name was. I told them it...
