A 25-year-old Hindu youth and Bajrang Dal member named Nitesh Chaudhary, a resident of the Shadipur area in Delhi, died on Saturday night after he was assaulted by Ufiza, Adnan, and Abbas on October 12. One more person named Alok was assaulted by the three accused on the same day. The police have made no arrests in the case and have denied communal angle in the case.
On Monday, team OpIndia travelled to the Patel Nagar area of Shadipur in Delhi to meet the family members of the deceased. All of the shops on the road were bustling with their business as usual, although they were aware of the incident. A man operating a paan store on the side of the road asked the team to walk because the lanes in the Patel Nagar locality are quite narrow and better traversed on foot. The team parked the car near the Patel Nagar Metro station and headed off on foot.
Police and paramilitary deployed at Nitesh’s house
The team, while on the way to Nitesh’s home spotted a flex board that read: “Kab-Kab bata Bharat (When was India divided)”. The board was placed in one of the corners of the lane. They continued via the same narrow pathways and travelled about 1 kilometre inside Patel Nagar Metro Station to Nitesh Choudhary’s residence. Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel were seen stationed about 50 meters before Nitesh’s house. However, there were no restrictions on anyone’s movement. Some Hindu organizations and media people had gathered outside the house. The team then reached Nitesh’s residence and met his uncle.
The team was requested to wait for a while at the gate. Meanwhile, they had a glance around the locality to notice the normal atmosphere. People were seen peeping from other houses. Nitesh’s residence was like any other normal residence. Many electric cables were seen hanging tangled with each other in front of the house. Some women could be heard crying from inside the house.
Hindus here have given their houses on rent to the Muslims
Babita Choudhary, Nitesh Choudhary’s mother, spoke with OpIndia. She said that Nitesh, who was a member of Bajrang Dal, was supporting the family and looking after the family expenses after his father passed away. She told that her priority is not financial but judicial support and she wants to see the murderer of her son hanging on the gallows as soon as possible. She also advised her family to stick together and said that everyone should stick together in times of distress.
Nitesh’s mother described her locality as Jatt-dominated and stated that many Hindus had rented out their homes to Muslims. She stated that no Muslim had ever been hired by her family. According to Nitesh’s mother, several Muslims were staying in the locality of the Jatt people but no Jatts were allowed to stay in the Muslim-dominated areas. She said that all the members in her house are not only religious but are also associated with various Hindu organizations.
Police are also afraid of Muslims in the area: Bajrang Dal worker Nitesh’s mother
Nitesh’s mother told OpIndia that the Muslim territory begins from the place where her son was killed. She said that there is a mosque nearby and that Nitesh was murdered by a crowd of two dozen individuals who rushed from the mosque’s vicinity. Accusing the police of failing to take appropriate and adequate action, she stated that the police are also afraid of the Muslims in Patel Nagar. “This is the reason why the Police are denying communal angle and are labelling my son a criminal instead”, she said.
Nitesh’s mother further informed the team that the area where Nitesh was slain by the mob is populated entirely by Muslims. Sisters and daughters, she claims, are publicly abused by Muslims in that region, due to which girls shy away and fear going there. She went on to say that Hindus close their businesses on our side early in the evening, and Muslim-majority communities keep their stores open all night, especially for meat and fish. She also added that at night, several individuals ride their bikes around the same place and engage in terrible activities, and no one is there to stop them.
Delhi Police’s take on the murder of Bajrang Dal worker
As reported earlier, 25-year-old Nitesh, a resident of the Shadipur area in Delhi died after he was assaulted on 12th October 2022. Youths from the Muslim community have been accused of killing the young man, however, no arrests have been made so far. Nitesh and his friend Alok were beaten up by the assailants who have been identified as Ufiza, Adnan, and Abbas.
Shweta Chauhan, DCP of Central Delhi, stated that those who were murdered were ‘criminals’ themselves. While speaking to Aaj Tak Chauhan said that Nitesh and his companion Alok are themselves ‘aggressors,’ and had criminal charges previously filed against them. She further claimed that both of them attempted to beat up the accused but were beaten up even harder by the three.
The police have described the incident as a dispute between two groups of boys. According to Chauhan, two boys stopped the bike approaching from the front, dropped the people sitting on it, and began thrashing. According to the police report, the other gang led by the Islamists then beat them harder. The Police said that an FIR has been filed on October 13 under Section 308 IPC.
