Turkman Gate Road Rage: The Truth Behind CM Kejriwal’s Promises

All big promises made by the AAP govt to Shahnawaz’s family were forgotten in three months.

(Photo: The Quint/Hardeep Singh)

The residents of Turkman Gate, situated near Old Delhi’s Police Bhavan, know of Noorjahan’s kin as Shahnawaz’s family.

This is the same Shahnawaz who on 4 April 2015 was brutally beaten to death by five people. The reason? His bike’s mudguard had accidentally grazed their I-20.

This shocking case of road rage grabbed headlines for quite a few days. Every political party rushed in to help the victims. Aseem Ahmad, Aam Aadmi Party’s representative from Delhi’s Matia Mahal swore to take care of the bereaved family in a press conference in the presence of CM Kejriwal.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and MLA Asim Ahmed meeting Shahnawaz’s family. (Photo: Aaj Tak)

Shahnawaz’s family say the Delhi government had promised to take care of their kids’ education and provide them with a job. It had also assured them of compensation worth Rs 10 lakh.

3 Months Later, All Promises Forgotten

It is not unusual for a government to deliver extremely slowly on its promises of compensation, or for that matter, to dismiss promises made in the event of a change in administration. There has been no such change in 2015-2016 but three months into the accident, the Delhi govt managed to forget Shahnawaz’s family and their plight. The family has now given up hope of any official assistance.

The Misery of Those Left Behind

The loss has made Shahnawaz’s mother Noorjahan age before her time. She still secretly cries when the memory of her late son is too much to bear. Her husband Salauddin and younger son Sohail are haunted by the same grief. Both have decided to let work consume them, in the hope that it might provide the distraction they so desperately seek. One year on, however, the loss still rankles, the sorrow refuses to abate.

Shahnavaz also leaves behind his wife Farzana, and their three kids. His two young boys, 9-year-old Mohammad Kaif and 12-year-old Fahad Shah, were with him on the bike that fateful day, eyewitnesses in the homicide.

Farzana says that the two kids have not been able to forget the incident, and still wake up from nightmares, drenched in sweat. The bigger cause for worry, however, is their education which is currently on hold. For that, she holds the Delhi govt responsible.

After Shahnawaz’s death, the Delhi govt got my kids admitted to a new, more expensive school. After paying the fee for three months, they abandoned the enterprise and stopped responding to our phone calls. The fee for this school is beyond our budget, and so we had to withdraw the kids from school mid-session. They have yet to be admitted to a new school.

Shahnavaz’s wife Farzana with their kids. (Photo: Prashant Chahal/The Quint)

Allegations Fly, Thick and Fast

The Aam Aadmi Party has its own version of events which the family strongly refutes.

The allegations made by Shahnawaz’s family are baseless. I paid the school fee for three months out of my own pocket, but soon, this family started playing political games. Despite our assistance, they teamed up with Congress’ ex-MLA Shoaib Iqbal to go on a dharna outside CM Kejriwal’s residence.

Asim Ahmad Khan, MLA, AAP

Delhi govt has not given us a single penny despite grand promises of compensation. Aseem Ahmad has been lording it over us for paying the school fees of our kids for three months. We are claiming financial assistance from the govt, which is our due. We pay our taxes. We don’t want charity.

Salauddin, Shahnawaz’s Father

The Case Gets Murky

The men accused of Shahnawaz’s murder, Ameen Pahalwan, Waseem Bhura, Shadab, Aatif Lala and Salim are currently behind bars.

The family claims that the relatives of the accused approached them with hefty bribes (to the tune of a crore) to retract the case against the five. When asked why they would be offered such an unusually huge sum, they claim it was because all four eyewitnesses in the case are relatives of the deceased, and thus not easily bribed.

As for the accused, their lawyer recently filed a case against Shanavaz’s family with Delhi High Court, accusing Fahad Shah, Shahnawaz’s youngest son who is an eyewitness in the case, of false testimony.

High Court’s order

Shahnawaz’s younger brother Sohail, who is handling the paperwork of the case, says that the Delhi police has been very helpful in this entire ordeal. The case is currently underway in a fast-track court, the next date of hearing is scheduled for 29 April. Shahnawaz’s youngest son is due for a cross-examination that day.