Friday, March 29, 2024

UP: Mother of Muslim man killed by police during CAA agitation to contest polls

Akbari Khatoon whose 20-year-old son Mohammed Suleiman was killed by Uttar Pradesh Police during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in late 2019, filed her papers for UP Assembly polls Thursday.

Akbari Khatoon whose 20-year-old son Mohammed Suleiman was killed by Uttar Pradesh Police during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in late 2019, filed her papers for UP Assembly polls Thursday.

Khatoon is the Congress candidate from Bijnor.

Suleiman who was among the 23 Muslim men killed in police firing during the anti-CAA protests, was in his final year of graduation and was preparing for UPSC exams at his kin’s place in Noida. The police killing happened when he had come to Nehtaur after he was down with a high fever.

The Congress announced Khatoon’s nomination on Wednesday, and Khatoon filed her papers Thursday.

“We have been fighting for justice for more than two years. Police harassed us, but we did not back down. The Congress is giving a chance to the marginalised sections of society who have been harassed and oppressed by this government,” Khatoon told Indian Express.

“I am fighting this election to get justice for my son, and many others like him who are oppressed by this government,” she said.

Though, the Bijnor police had confirmed that Suleiman died in firing by one of its own, Constable Mohit Kumar, calling it “self-defence” in December 2019, 7 months later, an SIT of the Bijnor police had given a clean chit to six policemen, including the station house officer of Nehtaur Police Station, while accusing the deceased Muslim man of violence.

“We have found Suleiman was involved in the protest and was an accused. Since he has died, no action could be taken against him,” Bijnor’s Additional Superintendent of Police Laxmi Niwas Mishra, who heads SIT, told The Indian Express

On 20 December 2019, the second week of passing India’s anti-Muslim citizenship law, mass shooting and police crackdown happened across Uttar Pradesh killing at least 23 Muslims. It is arguably the biggest single-day carnage in recent times. UP government systematically undermined the massacre by sieging the Muslim communities with internet shutdown, mass incarnation, and brute human rights violation.

Suleiman’s family earlier told Maktoob that he was killed by Uttar Pradesh police and they will fight to get justice.

Suleiman’s sister Sana Zahid, 22, a final year BSC student wrote a poem soon after Suleiman’s death. Photo: Shaheen Abdulla/Maktoob

Suleiman’s sister Sana Zahid, 22, a final year BSC student wrote a poem soon after Suleiman’s death, sharing her anger over state hunt and police killings.

The poem which was originally written in Urdu was accessed by Maktoob. Here is the translation of the poem:

The fear of your threats can’t devour us, Modi

Shah, our heads can’t bow before your cruelty

We’ll take a beheading over bowing to you

We won’t let our country be laid to waste

Suleiman, we won’t let your martyrdom be in vain

For each drop of our blood, our enemies shall pay

We won’t let our garden be laid to waste

We won’t let Baba’s Constitution be erased

We won’t let Mohammad’s teachings be purchased

Question our loyalty, you shan’t find many loyal like us

After our death, dig up Hindustan’s soil –
You shan’t find in that soil Musalmans like us

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