Nainital, a beautiful hill station set amidst the towering peaks of the Kumaon hills is the place where I was born. This town has been a symbol of different cultures, religions and life styles blended in absolute harmony.
We are the first Muslim family of Nainital and have been living here for the past 120 years. With a population of around 1lac, Nainital sees a footfall of more than 10lac tourists in the months of June and July. For the past few years Nainital has also seen an increase in the number of Muslim tourists visiting the town, mainly because nearby cities like Moradabad and Rampur have a sizable Muslim population most of whom are craftsmen and labourers and they prefer to come to this hilly town which fits their pocket.
After completing my schooling in 2007, I have been residing in Delhi. I pursued my graduation in Delhi and am now working in a reputed media organisation.
Recently, my uncle who is currently working as State Law Officer, with the Hon’ble High Court, Lucknow came on a visit to Nainital with his family. On 19.06.2014 while he was returning and boarding the vehicle from near my house, a policemen arrived on the spot on his jeep and asked us to remove the vehicle, I requested the officer that within minutes we will remove the vehicle, as the loading business is a matter of 5 minutes, the officer started abusing and my uncle who has a beard interfered, to our surprise another policemen who was there said that you Muslims consider Nainital to be your father’s property. On this I implored him not to abuse, as women and small children are boarding the vehicle and that I am a respectable person working in a reputed Media organisation.
In the meanwhile around 8-10 cops surrounded our whole family and while taking the law into their own hands started badly assaulting me with lathis and kicks and slaps on the road. My mother ran towards me to save me and she was also badly assaulted, and the Inspector, shouted to the Constables, to take me to the Thana. While beating they dragged me to the Thana and confined me to a room, where I was mercilessly beaten up by 8-10 cops. They also threatened that they will kill me in an Encounter.
Since my father is a respectable business man of Nainital, people from the Market came over to the Thana and on their intervention, I was released, but the Thana Incharge refused to lodge complaint, as he was himself involved, and instead threatened us not to approach any official failing which he will implicate me in several cases.
Since my father is a respectable business man of Nainital, people from the Market came over to the Thana and on their intervention, I was released, but the Thana Incharge refused to lodge complaint, as he was himself involved, and instead threatened us not to approach any official failing which he will implicate me in several cases.
The memory of several policemen dragging me to the police station and my mother hugging me will never fade away. Nainital a town which always been a living example of religious harmony could never have done this to me; I still can’t believe that this has happened in a place I was born.
There are black sheep’s in every department, community and religion, so I would not call the entire Police force to be biased or communal, though the the Sachar Committee's findings have concluded that the under-representation of Muslims in police forces across the country has contributed to institutional communalism and a persistent failure to defend the community's basic human rights.
We have filed a complaint with the concerned authorities and want appropriate action to be taken against the guilty. To our disappointment the Police dept has filed a case against us and have set up an enquiry against us, our fault was that we, including my parents, friends and relatives dared to question and raise our voice against the biased behaviour of the police.
The Police constable who made a petty parking issue into a communal one should not go scot free. The Holy Quran says"When Truth is heard against Falsehood, Falsehood perishes. For Falsehood by its nature is bound to perish", we are ready to fight the battle till we get justice. Muslims have been coexisting with Hindus peacefully in India for more than 1,300 years; we want a better India that isn't bogged down in religious strife.
For me and my family this whole episode has been the most horrific thing ever happened to us. It’s hardly been a week and this torture tale still lies fresh in my head.
Let me end by this by a famous quote “All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.”
