Are trains and buses not safe for all Indians any more? No, it seems if you bear a certain identity. ' First it was Mohd Akhlaq (2015), recently Mohd Salman (Jharkand) or Junaid (Haryana) now it is Uttar Pradesh. Ruled by Yogi Adityanath since March 2017, this state has een increasing crimes and lawlessness. Of the family of 10, including the differently abled son, Faizan were severely injured: four have fractures, four head injuries and almost all severe internal stomach injuries.
The absence of any official of the Railway Police (GRP) and the failure of 100, the emergency call number for the police to respond, shows how fragile the security of ordinary citizens has become.
The Times of India reports that, a family of 10 that included women, children, a couple of elderly and a teenager with disability was brutally assaulted and abused on board the Shikohabad-Kasganj passenger train near Mainpuri late Wednesday evening (July 13). Barely recevering from the trauma, Asiya Begum told Sabrangindia that the police is finally waiting for the police to conduct a fair investigation.
A complaint has been lodged with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) urging an intervention to ensure justice, rehabilitation, security and compensation.
The family is currently lodged at the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia government hospital in Farrukhabad, the victims, who belong to are all Muslims, said they were targeted because they "appeared different". The incident took place between Mota and Nibkarori railway stations, some 30 km away from Farrukhabad junction. The incident is one more reflection of the vicious hatred being allowed to spill on our streets.
In the criminal complaint, the first information report (FIR) lodged by Mohammad Shakir, 50, he said, “At around 6 pm our family boarded the train from Bhongaon. The train had travelled about 4 km when a youth from a group of five men snatched the mobile phone of my son Faizan, who has been handicapped. When we protested, the men assaulted our family members, including women and Faizan.”
The injured have been identified as Shakir, his wife Asiya, 40, daughter Arsi, 18, his two sons Faizan, 17, and Arsaan, 22, brother Arif, 35, nephew Asif, 17, brother-in-law Shaheed and sisters Shenaz and Maenaz. Of the 10, four have fractures, four head injuries and almost all internal stomach injuries.
Shakir also told the TOI; “Later when the train was about to reach Nibkarori station, the youths stopped the train by pulling its chain and called up some of their friends, who arrived on motorbikes. Then, some more men, who were armed with iron rods and sticks, attacked us."
The victims had locked the train compartment's door from inside when they got to know that the attackers were calling up more men. But somehow about 20-30 men managed to barge in near Nibkakori station and continued the assault until some of the passengers fainted.
It was not simply assault but also molestation. A police officer involved in the investigation told TOI that the women appeared to have been molested as their clothes were torn. "Right now they are in no condition to spell out in detail what happened, but prima facie, it appears that some of the women were molested."
OP Singh, superintendent of police, GRP (Jhansi division), who has charge of Agra division, too, said, “An FIR has been lodged under IPC section 395 (dacoity), but more sections will be added once the investigation is done. Based on the video of the incident, special operation group and other police teams have detained three men and are questioning them.”
Mohd Shaikir re-lived the horror of the attack when he spoke. Shakir, who has suffered severe head injuries and a fracture on his right hand, said, “It was sheer horror. I will never be able to forget what happened. They attacked us with iron roads, robbed our belongings and molested our women. They didn’t even spare my 17-year-old physically and mentally challenged son. They abused us all the while and I heard someone saying, 'kill them'. They beat us until we became unconscious.”
A video of the incident obtained by TOI shows a group of men brandishing iron rods and sticks first banging on the train compartment's door, pelting people inside with stones and then finally getting in from the emergency window after breaking the glass panel. The carefully planned attacks included attacking, especially the women in the family.
Arsaan said, “The assailants groped my mother and tore my sister's clothes. They even attacked other passengers who initially came to rescue us. Later the passengers abandoned the coach leaving us behind to fight the assailants.” He added, “We attempted to contact police on Dial 100, but the call kept dropping. It was only when the train reached Farrukhabad junction that the GRP came and took us to hospital.”
Asked why no GRP squad was present in the train, the SP said, “Due to kanwar yatra the force has been deployed at various location to provide safety to pilgrims. It has caused shortage of men to provide security in trains.”
