‘Cops detained me at the station for a day’

HIS FAMILY MEMBERS ALLEGED THAT KHAN’S CONDITION WORSENED AFTER SPENDING THE DAY IN THE POLICE STATION ALONG WITH THREE OTHER PEOPLE.

MEWAT: Azmat Khan can’t walk anymore. A week ago, he would scoop his one-year-old daughter in his arms and take her to play.

Now, after beaten mercilessly by a mob of gau rakshaks and spending a day without treatment at the Behror police station, the 22-year-old needs support to stand up. These days, he lies on a cot inside his house, staring at the grief-stricken faces of his family members and occasionally answering questions of the visiting media persons with a sense of resignation.

“My brother was admitted in the ICU of a private hospital after he became unconscious. But two days later, the cops brought him to the police station from the hospital where he was kept for one full day without any treatment,” said his brother, Yousuf.

His family members alleged that Khan’s condition worsened after spending the day in the police station along with three other people. All of them had been victim of an attack by cow vigilantes on April 1 when they were returning to their village Jaisinghpur after buying milch cows from a market in Jaipur.

“I was brought from the ICU to the police station where I was made to sleep on the floor without any treatment. The police didn’t give any reason for bringing me there but didn’t let me leave for treatment,” Khan told HT. His kin alleged that police released Khan a day after when the family members pleaded.

“After death of Pehlu Khan, we went to police station and pleaded with them to release my brother and the three other men, including the sons of Pehlu. Azmat was in such a bad condition that he had to be admitted to another hospital immediately after he was released,” said Yousuf.

Since then, Khan and his family haven’t heard from the police. “Here in Mewat, Hindus and Muslims lived like brothers for years without any sense of enmity. We still can’t believe this happened and are shocked to find Azmat bedridden,” said neighbour Mangal Ram.

“Cow vigilantes attacked innocent people and killed one of them. Instead of arresting them, the police takes out one of the injured victims from hospital and for a day keeps him at police station ,” says Haji Mohammedin, another close friend.