Ground Report: Delhi Police Actions Caused Death Of Man In Infamous National Anthem Video
Faizan, the 23-year-old Muslim man who was filmed as he was brutally assaulted by policemen who forced him to sing the national anthem between beatings, died after the Delhi Police illegally detained him for over 36 hours and denied him urgent medical attention, HuffPost India can establish. Since news of Faizan’s death was made public on February 28, the Delhi Police has sought to deflect responsibility by claiming they never took Faizan into custody.
HuffPost India spoke to policemen, eye-witnesses, doctors, legal volunteers and Faizan’s family members who contradicted the police account, and established that Faizan’s untimely and violent demise was a direct consequence of police actions over a three-day period from February 24, when Faizan was first assaulted, to February 26, when he finally succumbed to his many injuries at 11 pm. “For two days, he clamoured for aid locked up inside and they did not let him go,” said Faizan’s sister Sonam…
“His body had turned blue all over when they released him,” Kismatun, Faizan’s 61-year-old mother, said. “He had stitches on his ear and on his head. The policemen had hit him, putting a baton inside his throat. He was in so much pain that he could not even gulp liquids such as water or milk when we got back home.” Another young man, assaulted and humiliated by the police in the same incident that claimed Faizan’s life, has similar injuries but is terrified of seeking medical attention as he fears the police’s reprisal.…
SEE ALSO
Ground Report: How the Riots Unfolded in Delhi’s Chand Bagh (Feb 28, 2020, The Wire)
How Mustafabad’s Al Hind hospital became a refuge for displaced Muslims (Feb 29, 2020, The Caravan)
Ground Report: ‘Normalcy’ Returns to a Corner of Delhi, But Fear and Grief Are a Step Away (Mar 2, 2020, The Wire)
Fear Grips Muslims Across India in the aftermath of Anti-Muslim Pogrom in Delhi – By Nazish Hussain (Mar 3, 2020, TCN)
