Delhi Police thrash Muslim man who dialled 100 about a fight in vicinity

Image Courtesy:thewire.in

Wasim Khan, a 29-year-old man residing in Delhi’s Chhatarpur area was allegedly brutally thrashed and beaten up by police officials of Fatehpur Beri Police Station when they took him to record his statement in a complaint made by him on 100 helpline number. Khan had dialled 100 from his phone to complain about a fight that had broken out in his neighbourhood which seemed to have got out of control, reported The Wire.

“It was my first time calling the police,” Khan said. “I never dreamed they would treat me like this. Mujhe kitna mehenga parh gaya yeh 100 number emergency helpline call (This 100 emergency helpline call proved deadly for me).”

On May 17, some fight broke out in Chhatarpur area where Khan resides, and the two parties started throwing stones at each other. This compelled Khan to dial 100 and complain about it. The police from Fatehpur Beri came and dispersed the crowd and broke up the fight and some time later, around 11.30 pm came back to pick up Khan stating that they needed to record the statement with regards to the incident. They took him and 5 others, all Muslims under the same pretext, reported The Wire.

“They beat me with their lathis. Sub-inspector Satender Guliya hit me with his elbows and kept striking a lathi on my back. The other two men, Praveen and Jitender, kicked me, beat me and even held me upside down,” Khan recounted to The Wire. He further alleged that the three policemen, sub-inspector Satender Guliya, head constable Praveen and constable Jitender, used communal, anti-Muslim slurs, saying, “Bh*****d, ab karega call? Karega call 100 number par? Tum logon ne naak mein dum kar rakha hai, Mullon saalon.” (Translation: S*****-f****r, now tell us whether you’ll call? Will you dare to call the 100 helpline number? You people have created a nuisance, you bloody Mullahs).

Khan was let go in couple of hours and in a few days, the pain in his back only worsened. When the family took him to the hospital, it was found that he needs surgery in his spine. When he was taken to the hospital, the medical staff lodged a medico legal complaint and police from Vasant Kunj police station came. Khan’s uncle Ahmed Ali told The Wire that they struggled to lodge a complaint with Vasant Kunj police station as they kept insisting that they do not have jurisdiction but after much pleading, they took Khan’s complaint in writing.

As per the news report, Khan’s complaint states that “these injuries could have caused my death” and appealed for a criminal case against the policemen concerned under Sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 331 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt to extort confession) and 342 and 348 (pertaining to wrongful confinement) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

However, reportedly, there has been no progress in the investigation of the case. Nadeem Khan from the civil society group United Against Hate who is helping out the family has stated that they will pursue the police complaint and will also petition he National Human Rights Commission and if that does not bear any results, they will go to court.

This is not the first time that Fatehpur Beri police station has been in the news for the wrong reasons. Early in May, the Delhi High Court directed the trial court to initiate proceedings against police officers of Fatehpur Beri, who refused to register complaint of a Dalit man alleging abuse and harassment.