Delhi was in throes of violent anti-Hindu riots in the last week of February 2020. Two years on, though life in the riot-affected areas has gradually limped back to normal, the vivid memories of the macabre riots are still fresh in the minds of the families of the victims. Amongst the innumerable Hindus who were slaughtered, their houses destroyed and properties vandalised by Islamist mobs, there was this 51-year-old Vinod Kumar, who too fell prey to the wrath of the anti-CAA rioters who went on a rampage on the 24th and 25th of February, 2020.
Vinod Kumar, a resident of Brahmapuri, was brutally beaten to death in front of his son Nitin Kumar alias Monu on the ghastly night of 24 February 2020. The duo was returning home on a motorcycle around 10:30 pm when a mob assaulted them with stones and lathis. Their motorcycle was also set ablaze by the bloodthirsty mob. The father-son duo worked as DJs at local weddings and functions.
This video was shot on night of 24 Feb. The man lying on road is Vinod Kumar. The injured is his son Nitin. Vinod died a couple of hours later.
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) February 26, 2020
Nitin tells me he sees no reason for unprovoked attack other than the Jai Shri Ram sticker on his bike. It's his bike that's burning pic.twitter.com/CIbh6FXYvB
Two years on, the pain of Nitin Kumar and his family is still fresh. Nitin Kumar had then somehow survived the attack but had sustained heavy injuries. The bereaved son of the deceased Vinod Kumar had then confirmed that the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ sticker on the front side of his motorcycle was the only reason for the vicious attack on him and his father.
The Brahmapuri ‘Khajur Wali Gali’, where Vinod Kumar was brutally murdered, is located 5 kilometres from the Seelampur metro station. Nitin Kumar alias Monu’s house can be found a little further down this street. On the house is a sticker with Hindu symbols printed on it. The door is additionally adorned with images of Hindu deities. Above the entrance, hangs a floral garland. This type of residence is similar to that of regular Hindus all over the country.
The OpIndia team decided to pay a visit to the bereaved family of deceased Vinod Kumar in order to better comprehend the ramifications of the Muslim mob’s brutality, which they were, unfortunately, victims of.
Even after two years, residents of Khajur Wali Gali still mourn the untimely demise of ‘DJ Wale’ Vinod Kumar. Their eyes are filled with rage as they recount the horror perpetrated by Islamists on the father-son duo. On camera, however, no one wants to discuss the tragedy, exemplifying how afraid people are even today. If you ask around, everyone knows where ‘DJ Wale’ Vinod Kumar lived.
Unfortunately, Vinod Kumar’s family’s income was dependent on the DJ service, which came to a halt after his untimely demise.
Nitin Kumar, who too had received as many as 40 stitches after being brutally assaulted during the 2020 anti-Hindu riots, said that his family currently consists of five members and that the house’s financial situation is extremely dire. He stated that he is in a lot of problems as a result of his lack of employment. He said that though nothing harrowing has transpired after that particular episode, the house’s financial situation has deteriorated in the last two years.
He was furious at the Delhi government’s offer of only Rs 1 lakh in compensation for his father’s death. Besides that, he said he had received no compensation from any other source. Nitin added that the Covid pandemic had exacerbated the house’s financial situation as not too many marriages took place during the pandemic. As a result, his DJ service company had come to a standstill.
Nitin Kumar expressed concern to us regarding his elder son’s education, who he claimed is 6-years-old now. He was perturbed as to how he would provide for his mother, wife, and two children on his present earnings. He said that though he has not been harassed after that incident, in the last two years the atmosphere of the area has changed a lot.
It may be recalled that a total of 12 persons had been accused in the case, but the Karkardooma court judge Amitabh Rawat, in April last year, granted relief to seven accused namely Sagir Ahmad, Naved Khan, Javed Khan, Arshad, Gulzar, Mohd Imran, and Chand Babu saying they “cannot be incarcerated till the conclusion of the trial, which will take a lot of time and particularly considering the pandemic”.
Three months later, the Delhi High Court also granted bail to three other accused namely Sabir Ali, Mahtab and Raees Ahmed saying that there was no preliminary evidence that the accused were present at Gali no.1 Brahmpuri at around 10.30 pm when the mob killed Vinod Kumar and injured his son Nitin Kumar.
Considering that the petitioners were present as members of a mob at Gali no.1 Akhadewali Gali after 11 pm when some members of this mob were armed with sarias (iron rods), dandas (sticks), stones, swords, knives, and other weapons, there is no material on record, even prima facie, to show that the petitioners were members of a mob that was present at Gali no.1 Brahmpuri at around 10.30 pm which indulged in pelting stones causing injuries to Nitin and death of Vinod Kumar, this court deems it fit to grant bail to the petitioners, the court said.
We at OpIndia have also extensively covered the Delhi anti-Hindu riots which the national and international media had falsely painted as an “Anti-Muslim pogrom”.
