This was the first event organised by the Ankit Saxena Trust, set up by the photographer’s family and friends to support couples in inter-faith relationships, promote communal peace and help the youth. It was attended by almost 200 people.
Ankit Saxena and Kafeel Khan were publicly sourced. Image Courtesy: Sanjukta Basu
Delhi: A crowd gathered In Raghubir Nagar, West Delhi, on Sunday. It wasn’t like that day when one of its residents, Ankit Saxena, was murdered four months ago for being in love with a Muslim girl. As soon as the sun set, the crowd swarmed Ankit’s residence and sat down for the Iftar party organized by his father in his memory. In the spirit of ‘Hate Hurts and Harmony Works,’ it was heartening to see Yashpal Saxena combat hate with a deep reserve of love.
“At 7:17 pm, fasts were broken with a prayer to Allah and people from all faiths dug into their meals. Among the attendees was Dr. Kafeel Khan, the doctor accused of the Gorakhpur deaths. “Despite everything that Yashpal ji has gone through, he has sent a very powerful message by organizing this Iftar. I have only come to show my support,” he said in a report by Quint.
In the midst of serving fruits and water, answering questions of all the media people that had come to cover the event and posing for cameras, Yashpal Saxena was deliberate in spreading just one message. “The idea is to spread communal harmony. I want the spirit of love to be spread, not hatred. I have been left bereft of my son because of hate. If I had responded with the same anger back then…. I don’t want a society where hatred is spread and damage is caused to others,” he said in a report by Firstpost.
Around 200 people had gathered for the Iftar that was organized for the first time by the Ankit Saxena Trust. It was set up by his father to promote peace, help inter-faith couples get married and understand the anger of the youth. 23-year-old photographer Ankit was remembered by his many friends, who want him to be remembered as an icon of love, and neighbours who saw him as their own son.
Ankit was a victim of alleged ‘honour killing’ where he was murdered by his girlfriend’s family as they were opposed to inter-faith relationships. Yashpal Saxena made waves by asking people to not communalize the issue and spreading love instead of hatred. A report by Scroll stated, “Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vijay Singh had said that all the accused in the case have been arrested. The woman’s parents and her uncle are in judicial custody while her brother, who is a minor, was sent to a juvenile home.”
Crowdnewsing, a crowdfunding platform, has raised over Rs. 4.5 lakh for the creation of the Ankit Saxena Trust and helping his family with their needs.