Differently-Abled Man Praying in Mosque Thrashed by Mob in Delhi

Image used for representation only.

(Photo: PTI)

Feroz Akhtar, who is differently-abled, was beaten with sticks by a mob that entered a mosque when he was offering prayers in northeast Delhi's Mustafabad, his wife Sanjeeda claimed.

The 42-year-old tailor received severe injuries to his head, back and shoulder and is being treated at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital.

Akhtar had met with an accident five years ago and since then has struggled to walk properly.

Recalling the incident, Sanjeeda said her husband and 20-year-old son, Danish, were among many others from the locality who had rushed to a protest venue to safeguard the women who were on a sit-in in a nearby area on Tuesday.

“My son returned after a while, but my husband was still there. As soon as I got to know about incidents of stone pelting and firing, I called up my husband and asked him to return since he won’t be able to rush in case of any emergency,”

Sanjeeda, Feroz Akhtar’s wife

Sanjeeda said her husband rushed to a nearby mosque and while he was offering prayers, a mob entered and beat him and others with sticks and dragged him out.

After a while, she received a call from an unknown person who informed her that her husband was at his place currently.

"I was very scared and did not trust the caller," she said, adding that he had given him first-aid and asked her to come to his house to take Akhtar.

"Later, he made me speak to my husband who said he won't be able to return or go on a bike even if I send our son to him," she said.

The unknown caller informed Sanjeeda that he had admitted Akhtar at Al hind hospital, Mustafabad from where she, along with her two sons, managed to take him to LNJP.

"With the help of my sister who stays in Jamia, we managed to arrange for an ambulance and with the aid of the police we managed to reach LNJP from Bhajapura at around 2:30 am," she said.

However, on the way, near Signature Bridge, stones were also pelted at the ambulance, she alleged.

Nainital-resident Amar Jahan had come to Wazirabad at her brother's place just two days ago to get her daughter treated at LNJP.

“The situation is very tense. We could not sleep the entire night because we feared someone would attack us. I somehow managed to get a van and brought my daughter for treatment today. I don’t feel safe enough to go back home.”

Amar Jahan

Since Monday, over 45 people injured in the violence were brought to LNJP.

Out of them, bodies of Mehrum Ali (32), a resident of Bhajanpura, and Aman (17), a resident of New Seelampur, were kept in the mortuary for post-mortem, police said, adding three injured were brought to the hospital on Wednesday.

Most of them have been discharged after first-aid while some of them are still being treated, they said.