‘Who will kill a man out to get milk for his kids?’ asks brother of slain rickshaw puller in Delhi violence

AGRA: Like many others, their search also came to an abrupt end at the mortuary of GTB hospital on Saturday evening. Knees became week and tears trickled down. Prem Singh (27) was lying unattended in a corner of the morgue along with several other corpses-- all riot victims. He had left home in Delhi’s Brijpuri colony on Tuesday morning to fetch a pouch of Mother Dairy milk for his three children, but never came back.
A rickshaw puller, Prem was among 47 people killed in communal clashes which singed Delhi’s northeastern corner for three days running, starting Sunday night.
Back home in Kasganj’s Rajepura village, some 230km from the national capital, Prem leaves behind three daughters and wife-- four months pregnant. Rakhi is 9 years old, Neelam is six, while Khushi is just three, too young to comprehend the death. But, their mother understands it all. Just 25, Sunita looked at a bleak future as Prem was family’s sole bread winner.
Prem had come to the national capital to ensure a better life for his family. He had rented a room and brought them to Brijpuri’s block C. After his death, they have returned home.
“Why would anyone kill a man who just wanted to buy milk for his children?” asked Shyam Singh, who cremated his younger brother in Delhi.
Speaking to TOI over phone from Delhi, Shyam said, “On February 25, Prem had gone to buy milk for his children, but never returned. The next day, we lodged a missing complaint at Dayalpur police station. Later, local police helped the family trace the body to GTB hospital… in the mortuary.”
Prem was the youngest among six siblings, including three sisters. “The government must compensate his wife and children,” Shyam said.