Though life for the citizens of Delhi has gradually come back to normalcy, it will never be the same again for those whose loved ones were killed by rampaging Islamist mobs during the riots that erupted across north-east Delhi in the last week of February. 20-year-old Dilbar Negi‘s old parents, who hailed from in a small town, Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand, are still waiting for their son to return home. His two sisters, though aware of the truth, still believe that a miracle would happen and their brother would return home this Rakshabandhan.
Dilbar’s younger brother, Devendra, says that he has compromised over time, but his parents are still not ready to believe that Dilbar will never come back home. Before every festival, when the son’s of the village come home, their eyes too start gleaming with the hope that Dilbar will also return. This time too, for the Thaulu-Tyaar festival, they were hoping to see their son, but all that was dashed, after his mortal remains returned home.
In Uttarakhand, during a few selected festivals like Thaulu-Tyaar, celebrated at the time of Baisakhi, all villagers, irrespective of wherever they work, return home to celebrate the festival with their families and loved ones. Dilbar had also planned to visit his family on Holi. But, unfortunately, Negi’s family would never get to celebrate any of these festivals with him, considering a mob of frenzied Islamists brutally tortured and murdered the youth during the violence that emerged in the national capital in February 2020.
Devendra, Dilbar’s brother said that his brother had gone to Delhi to earn for his family. Little did he know that he will fall prey to such a deep-rooted conspiracy. Still, the entire village is hopeful that Dilbar will get justice, said the grief-stricken younger brother of Dilbar Negi.
Dilbar Negi’s family was approached by the Delhi Crime Branch about a month ago in connection with the charge sheet filed against the Delhi riots. However, none of his family members were able to go to Delhi due to the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.
Dilbar Negi dismembered and burnt alive by Islamists
It may be recalled, that Dilbar Singh Negi was burnt by Islamist rioters after they brutally chopped of his limbs with a sword. The rest of his body was tossed into the fire like a piece of meat by the blood-thirsty mob.
Negi had dreant of joining the Indian Army, but, due to his parent’s financial constraints, the 20-year-old youth left for Delhi, 6 months ago, to make a living. Devendra, the brother of Dilbar Negi, says that he too initially went to Delhi with his brother to seek a job, but he returned to his old parents in the village.
On the evening of 24 February, when violence erupted in Delhi, 20-year-old Dilbar Singh Negi had fallen victim to the brutality of these riots. Dilbar Singh Negi was burnt by a mob of rioters in the burning house after being cut off with a sword.
The gruesome videos of anti-Hindu riots in Delhi had emerged which showed how rioters, after cutting Dilbar Singh Negi’s hands and feet, threw the rest of his body into the burning fire. The incident was first reported by Opindia, when the relatives of Dilbar Negi, the deceased, contacted us and reported the horrific accident.
Dilbar Singh Negi was from Thalisain block in Pauri district of Uttarakhand. He used to work at a sweet shop located in Shiv Vihar. His close aide Shyam Singh told Opindia that some rioters entered the Shahdara area on the evening of 23 February. The rioters made Negi their first target. They cut off his arms and legs. Then, they burnt his body in a nearby shop. He was accompanied by his two other companions in the building who managed to escape from there.
On February 26, when the shop owner Anil Pal reached the spot to know the condition of his shop with the police, he found the body of the deceased Negi near the stairway on the second floor. We can assume that he was trying to jump from the building after seeing the rioters. Negi had visited the godown of the shop for having food and taking rest, the charge-sheet said.
According to the chargesheet, the main accused in the murder of Dilbar Negi is one Shahnawaz as he was the one who led the mob that day. Along with Shahnawaz, the other accused have been charged with murder, criminal conspiracy, rioting and promoting enmity between groups. Currently, he is in judicial custody.
Moreover, the Delhi Police had named Dr MA Anwar, the owner of Al-Hind hospital in the riot-hit Mustafabad area, as one of the organisers of the protest. The controversial doctor has been named in the charge-sheet filed by Delhi Police in the murder of 20-year-old Hindu youth Dilbar Negi.
A key eyewitness in the case had said that there were clear instructions for the mob to attack Hindu homes and shops. The mob was abusing Hindus in a vile manner and were speaking freely of finishing off Hindus, the eyewitness said. Furthermore, it was alleged that the mob was speaking of setting Hindu homes on fire and were calling them ‘Kaafir’.
Three accused Muslim men in the murder of Dilbar Singh Negi have confessed to firing indiscriminately at Hindus in Shiv Vihar during the communal riots at North-East Delhi. Shahnawaz, Salman and Sonu Saifi, admitted to procuring a pistol, while Salman confessed of “firing at Hindus”.
As was the case of Dilbar Negi, many Hindu’s including IB sleuth Ankit Sharma and police constable Ratan Lal, were also brutally murdered by the Muslim mob who had come from Brijpuri Pulia side in northeast Delhi and unleashed violence, targeting properties of Hindus. The unfortunate families of these Hindus have still not come to terms with the fact, that they will never see their loved ones again. Even as with time, things tend to be forgotten, this deadly riot, which was the fall out of religious hatred stoked by radical fundamentalists will not be erased from the memories of the aggrieved families.
