Hapur (Uttar Pradesh): A 28-year-old Muslim driver died at Delhi’s Lok Nayak Hospital on August 4, five days after he was allegedly assaulted following a road accident involving a vehicle carrying Kanwar pilgrims in Uttar Pradesh’s Hapur district. The victim, identified as Azeem, leaves behind an elderly bedridden father, a widowed wife and a five-month-old son.
According to Azeem’s father, Intezar Hussain, the accident occurred when Azeem’s pickup truck collided with an auto carrying Kanwariyas near the Garh toll plaza on July 31. Following the collision, the auto driver and several passengers allegedly attacked Azeem and left him at the spot. Police took him to a local hospital, from where he was referred to Meerut and later shifted to Lok Nayak Hospital in Delhi. He remained under treatment for five days before succumbing on August 4.
The death certificate issued by Lok Nayak Hospital records the cause of death as extra-axial bleed, subarachnoid haemorrhage, mass effect and diffuse cerebral edema secondary to cardiopulmonary arrest. In plain terms, the document records bleeding inside the skull, bleeding around the brain, pressure on the brain and widespread brain swelling, followed by cardiac arrest.
An FIR registered at Garh Mukteshwar police station names auto driver Farman along with Manish, Ankit, Lokesh and Shivam, all residents of Bajheda Khurd village, and two unidentified persons. The case has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to rioting, voluntarily causing hurt and attempt to murder. Police have also registered a cross-FIR based on a complaint by the auto driver, accusing Azeem of deliberately ramming the auto.
Intezar Hussain, who has been bedridden for the past two years, told reporters that Azeem was his only support after the death of his wife years ago. “Ab to mera koi sahara hi nahi bacha,” he said, meaning he is now left with no support. Azeem provided for the family’s healthcare, medicines and daily needs.
Firasat Hussain Gama, state secretary of the Samajwadi Party, visited the family and described their living conditions as extremely poor. “The family is living in a makeshift house covered with tarpaulin. Azeem was their only provider,” he said. Gama called on the Uttar Pradesh government to assist the family and warned that failure to do so would reflect poorly on the administration.
The family is seeking a fair investigation and accountability for the circumstances that led to Azeem’s death.
Story by Ghazala Ahmad for Maktoob Media
