Lawyer Ahmed lost his eyesight in the incident during the North-East Delhi riots; His trial is on as he is still fighting the case for a separate FIR
Lawyer Ahmed lost his eyesight in the incident during the North-East Delhi riots; His trial is on as he is still fighting the case for a separate FIR
On the night of February 25, 2020, lawyer Ahmed, a resident of Shiv Vihar, lost both his eyes in an acid attack allegedly carried out by armed assailants during the North-East Delhi riots.
After two years and four surgeries, Mr. Ahmed, who owns a ration shop, says the incident has turned his world upside down, limiting his movement within the four walls of his home and that of his family. has been financially handicapped.
“I will never forget that horrible day… it ruined my life. Now all I do is apply eye drops six times a day and put them in a corner… I’m always around Need help getting going,” said Mr. Ahmed, 52 Hindu ,
The day riots broke out in their neighbourhood, Ahmed locked himself, his wife and three children in their two-storey house. Around 8 p.m., a panicked Mr. Ahmed and his 20-year-old daughter went to the terrace to see if the violence had subsided. “There was no one around. We thought the worst was over,” said Mr. Ahmed.
However, suddenly acid splatter from somewhere hit his face, causing him serious injuries and his daughter suffered minor injuries on her face and neck. “She [Ahmed] There was a lot of bleeding when I realized that someone had thrown acid on his face from below… I felt helpless,” recalled 42-year-old Mumtaz Begum, Ahmed’s wife.
Following this, the five-member family came out of their house and took shelter in a nearby mosque. “The next morning at 3 a.m., we were rescued by activists of some NGOs, who admitted my husband and daughter to a local hospital,” said Ms. Begum. Meanwhile, rioters ransacked his house and looted it.
The exam was by no means over for Mr. Ahmed, a month after he was admitted to a local hospital, he was referred to the Guru Nanak Eye Centre, where his surgery was delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Finally, in October last year, Mr. Ahmed was operated upon in a hospital in Chennai with the help of a Muslim welfare organisation. After three more surgeries, doctors managed to restore partial vision in his right eye. “I will have another surgery within a week and the doctor will try to restore some vision in my left eye as well,” Mr. Ahmed said.
Club complaints
Ms Begum said that two weeks after the incident, she approached the police and lodged an FIR. However, her complaint was clubbed with an FIR lodged by a person named Furkan, who claimed that her car was vandalized during the riots.
“We are not literate enough to know these things, but when I read the copy of the FIR, I saw that none of its contents matched with the complaint filed by me, which was more serious. I didn’t even know who Furqan was… I pleaded with the police to give me a separate FIR, but they said there was nothing wrong with the present FIR,” said Ms. Begum.
Around September last year, Mr Ahmed moved a Delhi court seeking a separate case. But so far no progress is visible in this matter. “We had given an application seeking a separate inquiry into Ahmed’s case, but it has been eight months and the police have not recorded their response. The matter has seen several adjournments,” said Mr Ahmed’s lawyer Salim Malik.
Mr. Ahmed regrets that his matter was not taken up even after several rounds of the court. “Once upon a time there were some issues with my signature. Then they wanted to see my injuries. I hope my case will see the light of day and justice will be served,” Mr Ahmed said. “We have been living here for more than two decades and have always had cordial relations with our neighbors. What didn’t they think twice before attacking us? How did they create so much hatred for us?” asked Ms. Begum.
Mr Ahmed said that despite the incident, he is not afraid to leave his house.
“It is the criminals who have hatred in their hearts, not me… They have managed to destroy my life but I am firm.”