On January 30 last year, a young man with a frenzied look and a pistol in his hands marched up to a crowd of students protesting outside De...
On January 30 last year, a young man with a frenzied look and a pistol in his hands marched up to a crowd of students protesting outside Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia against the amended Citizenship Act and the proposed nationwide National Register for Citizens.
Contending that the initiatives discriminated against India’s Muslims, the protestors had adopted a range of slogans, including a rhythmic chant demanding “azadi”, or freedom, from a litany of injustices.
“Yeh lo azadi”, here is your freedom, the young man shouted as he fired his pistol, with Delhi police officials looking on a short distance away. His bullets injured one student. The attacker was quickly bundled away by the police.
Because he was reported to be minor aged 17, his face was blurred in most published photographs and his name could not be published. In his home town in Jewar in Uttar Pradesh, his neighbours expressed support for his actions. He was sent to 28-day protective custody in a correctional facility by the Juvenile Justice Board in January. But little was known about him and because he was a minor, the legal details of his case were kept secret.
Now, over a year later, he resurfaced in public. On July 4, he made a speech at the communally...
