Dear friends,
This is to bring to your notice a horrible incident that happened with Ibrahim, resident of E-44/273, New Seema Puri, New Delhi – 95, few days before New Year’s eve.
Ibrahim is a rag-picker, who has been honestly doing his work at a garbage bin (Dhallav) situated at Shahdara (in front of Muskaan Restaurant) for almost 15 years now, earning a dignified livelihood for himself and his family, without ever troubling anyone.
At middle of the night on 27.12.2010, 1:45am precisely, Sub Inspector (SI) Shishpal along with six policemen barged into his modest dwelling and like criminals, looted Rs 37,000 cash the man had painstakingly saved for his daughter’s wedding. The policemen also used abusive language while slapping him on his face in front of his wife and children. The harassment didn't end here as they dragged Ibrahim to Seema Puri Police Station after robbing him first at midnight.
As if this wasn't enough to disgrace khaki vardi, policemen even asked few thieves already in lock up to identify Ibrahim as their accomplice in unlawful activities, but none of them identified the rag picker as one of them.
After not being able to charge Ibrahim with any illegal activity at the thana, SI Shishpal ordered him to go back home. Before leaving, when the hassled man demanded that his money be returned, he was hung upside down, and beaten severely on his lower body parts with sticks. This is police treatment meted out to hardened criminals while here is an innocent man getting subjected to inhuman, shock treatment, who was shaken out of his sleep, robbed of his life’s savings, abused physically and verbally in front of family members for no fault of his.
Next day i.e. on 28.12.2010, Ibrahim submitted a written complaint to Deputy Police Commissioner District North East Delhi, but no action against SI Shishpal was taken. On the contrary, the SI and other policemen are currently threatening strict action against Ibrahim if he didn’t withdraw his complaint.
It is such incidents that make our Nation kneel down in shame, and embarassment, where a poor person from the minority Muslim community is targetted for extortion and loot by police, and never any rich or powerful personality, who has the resources to put everyone in their places in case of slight trouble they might have to go through. Such crimes by police are regularly happening in Seema Puri as the majority population here comprises poor Muslims. It's a matter of utter shame that the level of discrimination against the weaker and vulnerable sections in our society is so high that even police has stood up against them, looting them and torturing them instead of protecting their interests as per their mandate.
We are circulating this mail to you for seeking your suggestions because there are very few persons like Ibrahim who raise their voice against such unlawful acts by police.
We, at Pardarshita, believe we must help Ibrahim in his fight against a corrupt system.
Zindabad!
Rajiv Kumar
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