‘Not only my son, city’s tehzeeb too has died’
Shattered on losing the breadwinner, kin of Md Wakil, who was killed in Thursday’s clash, say he was not a protester but was caught in the affray
LUCKNOW: “It was not only my son but the tehzeeb of Lucknow also was shot dead on Thursday,” said Sharfuddin, 59, father of Mohammad Wakil (26 ), who died due to a bullet injury post Thursday afternoon’s violence.
Wakil, 28, a resident of Hussainabad, got caught in the melee as the miscreants pelted police with stones and the latter retaliated by firing tear gas shells during the anti-CAA protest here on Thursday. In the commotion, a stray bullet hit him in the left abdomen and he succumbed to his injury later at the KGMU trauma centre, leaving behind a pregnant wife and elderly parents.
Taufique, brother of the deceased, said, “As per my brother’s friend, a cop fired the bullet that hit him. We were not part of any protest but on way home after finishing some work.”
Doctors found a bullet in Wakil’s body during the postmortem examination. It will be sent for forensic investigation to identify the kind of weapon it was fired from.
According to police sources, some miscreants mingled with protesters and opened fire using country made weapons. Police officials denied opening fire on protesters anywhere in the city. Family disconsolate “Wakil left home at 2 pm to buy some groceries. While returning he was caught between rushing protesters and chasing policemen near Hussainabad police outpost,” said Wakil’s father Md. Sharfuddin.
“Doctors say that my son was killed by a bullet. I want police to catch the person who fired that bullet,” he said. He also demanded compensation from the government. “Who will take care of his wife and our family now? The government must ensure that we are not forced to beg,” he said. An inconsolable Sharfuddin said, “I was a head mason ( raj mistry) but since I suffered a fracture I cannot work. I totally depended on his money. He took care of my medicines and daily needs.”
Eldest among six siblings, Wakil drove an e-rickshaw to earn a living.
Shabeena alias Kavita, 24, who married Mohammad Wakeel around a year and a half back despite being a Hindu and who is seven-months pregnant , fainted every five minutes. She said,” I don’t know what I will do now, who will take care of me. I have no one to turn to. Now I will have to take care of myself and the baby in my womb.”
Nasreen 20, Parveen 18, and Ruby 15, sisters of the deceased, were waiting for him to return with daily groceries so that they could cook a meal. Instead, they got the news of his death.
Nasreen was in tears as she said, “He was the one who gave everything to us. Now I will never demand anything from him as I know he will never return. I want the man who killed him to be punished.”
Wakil’s other brother, Shakeel who drives a tractor trolley, said that a passerby called him from Wakil’s phone and informed about the incident. “The call came at around 3 pm. We rushed to the trauma centre where doctors told us about his death,” Shakeel said. “My brother stayed away from protests and police. He focused only on his work. Yet he paid the price of this protest,” Shakeel added.
The family received the body at around 4 pm and took it for burial to Mishri Ki Bagia graveyard in Thakurganj amid water tight police security. The burial procession was followed by a group of over 500 people.