Jama Masjid Sarai Shahji, was a non-descript mosque until Thursday, in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar. On Friday, it was swarmed by hundreds including policemen, members of student unions, community welfare groups, politicians, lawyers, media and local residents.

On Thursday, an 8-year-old boy, Mohammad Azeem, who studied in a madrasa inside the mosque died during a scuffle some minor boys from the adjacent JJ cluster. Azeem and his three friends had fought with the minor boys after an argument over a playing space. Police have apprehended the four juveniles and registered a case of murder.

Deputy commissioner of police (south), Vijay Kumar said the four boys were sent to a juvenile home on Friday. The officer said Azeem did not have any external injury and that his autopsy reports are awaited to ascertain the cause of death.

A day after the incident, Azeem’s father, Khaleel Ahmed a resident of Mewat in Haryana, said, that the death was caused due to an accident and that he does not want it to be politicised. Ahmed, a farmer by profession said, “ Please do not politicise my son’s death. This is not a communal matter. It was an accident. I used to speak to him regularly. He never suggested that he was being bothered or troubled by anyone.” 

Since Azeem’s death, local police and senior officers were on guard to ensure that there was no law and order problem. Lawyers and local welfare bodies on Friday swarmed the mosque to sort the dispute over the playing space. Most employees at the madrasa said the play ground is the bone of contention between them and the adjacent JJ cluster residents.

Maulana Mohammad Ali Johar,an Imam at the mosque, said if the property remains disputed fights will go on. The Imam said that the property belonged to them.

The residents of the nearby JJ cluster, however, refuted allegations and accused the madrasa employees of trying to encroach upon their land. Police said the case of the land’s entitlement is subjudice.

Narrating the sequence of events leading to Azeem’s death, an 8-year-old boy, who was with Azeem said, “The five boys threw firecracker and stones at us. We were four and there were five. They thrashed Azeem and threw him on a motorcycle and a rickshaw, after which he fell unconscious. We informed our teachers who took him to the hospital,” the 8-year-old boy said.

The madrasa staff rushed Azeem to a hospital where he was pronounced dead by the doctors.

First Published: Oct 27, 2018 09:10 IST