February marks two years of the communal riots that broke out in north-east Delhi in 2020. Among the many cases that remain unsolved is the death of Mohammad Furkan, 30, one of the many victims of the violence. His brother Mohammad Imran has given up on any hope for justice as he believes “the case is against the police”.
In the last two years, he never pursued the case and he never officially heard from the police about the arrests being made, the chargesheet being filed or any development whatsoever.
He, however, has come to know from his friends in the force and local residents that four Muslim men, including a neighbour, have been arrested in connection with the murder.
When asked whether he attended any court hearing or was aware of the proceedings in the case, Mr. Imran’s answer was a simple “no”. “No police officer visited me after the murder and no one from the force ever officially told me about who was arrested in the case and what their role was,” he said.
Three women, he said, came forward and told him that they they saw policemen shooting Furkan – they also shared the names but Mr. Imran never hired a lawyer or pursued the matter. Why? “Because I knew nothing was going to happen,” he said. “My case was against the police. There was no chance it would even be investigated. We all know who makes the rules and who suffers,” he said.
“I am 200% sure that these four men [arrested in the case] didn’t shoot my brother,” Mr. Imran said.
The transfer of a Delhi judge — in October last year — who was hearing the riots cases also shook Mr. Imran. “When judges can be transferred overnight for asking the right questions from the police, what chance do I have?”
Mr. Imran, who runs a handicraft business, shifted his factory from the main road in Kardampuri to the lane inside because of the atmosphere, he said. “Mahaul thik nahin rehta hai ab bhi. Kabhi bhi kuch bhi ho sakta hai... Isliye maine factory shift kar lia (The atmosphere is still not normal. Anything can happen anytime... That’s why I shifted my factory),” he said.
‘Worried for family’
The only surviving son in the family now, Mr. Imran is always worried for the safety of his folks — another reason he did not want to pursue the matter in court. “Once you begin following the case, go for court hearings… you are troubled in different ways. I have spoken to my friends in the force who are not related to the riots cases and they tell me nothing will happen even if I pursue the matter. Instead, me and my family would be troubled,” he said. “If something happens to me, what will happen to my family?”
On February 24, 2020, Furkan died of bullet injuries in Kardampuri. Videos of a wounded Fukran being rushed to an autorickshaw surfaced at that time in which locals could be heard saying that “policemen shot him”. The Delhi police arrested four men – Mohammad Imran, 33, Anwar Hussain, 23, Khalid Ansari, 20 and Kasim, 20 —for his murder. The police, in the chargesheet, stated that Furkan was shot by rioters but videos showed that “no opposite group was present in the vicinity”.
Furkan’s wife and his two children — now aged 7 and 5 years — manage their household with the rental income from another house in the same building owned by the family.
