Nadeem's seven-year-old son is oblivious to his father's arrest, awaiting his return with a medal from just another shooting tournament. Not too far away, Raaes' father-in-law, who suffers from respiratory and eyesight problems, has to ride the rickshaw again to provide for his son's wife and six children. Kaala's younger brother is expected to take charge at home but repeated interrogation into his work is making him and his family anxious. Uncertainty and fear loom large as these families await the return of Nadeem, Kaala and Raees – arrested in the aftermath of Bulandshahr violence.
On 3 December, clashes erupted in UP's Bulandshahr district after a cattle carcass was found in the fields. In the clashes that ensued, Inspector Subodh Kumar and a civilian identified as Sumit died, and four Muslim men were arrested on charges of cow slaughter.
After being held for 16 days, they were declared innocent. The police, however, arrested three others who were not named in the original FIR. To understand who were these three men and what led to their arrests, The Quint spoke to their families and the police officials overseeing the investigation.
'Technical Evidence Against the 3 Muslims Accused'
SSP Bulandshahr Prabhakar Chaudhary, one of the senior officers in charge of the investigation, told The Quint, "We had a combination of information. We recovered a gun, a vehicle used for cattle transportation and informers also gave us tips." However, he refrained from disclosing further evidence, stating the matter was under investigation.
SP Bulandshahr (City) Atul Kumar Srivastava said, "These men ran a gang. Hunted cows with double-barrel guns and used knives to distribute their meat."
The gun and vehicle allegedly used for cattle transportation was found at Nadeem’s house. On 16 December, Nadeem was arrested from his house. This was followed by a second visit by the police to pick up the vehicle, and a third to pick up the gun.
Nadeem, 'The Licensed Gun Owner Whose Vehicle Doesn't Run'
At 42-year-old Nadeem's home, tension hung heavy in the air. His son dribbled a ball across the courtyard, while his mother sat with stony silence in a corner. The child broke the silence with a plaintive cry – "Abba kab aayenge? (When will my father be back?)"
The innocent query snapped his mother out of her pensive gaze. She is quick to respond, "He will come in a few days, he has gone for a shooting tournament," pulling him back by his sweater and nudging him into the courtyard where he could return to his game, and she to her thoughts.
Nadeem's 70-year-old father, Zaheeruddin, finds himself in a vulnerable and perhaps awkward situation, as he defends his grown up son. Repeatedly breaking down, he says, "My son has hypertension and his kidneys are weak. I went with medicines but the police didn't allow us to give it. So we asked a known doctor who was then able to pass a tablet. Don't know how he is managing there."
"The gypsy has been lying defunct for months. It doesn't start. They had to drag it to the police station by roping it onto the police vehicle. How could it have been used for cow slaughter then?," he asked.
Nadeem's brother Waseem chimed in, saying, "The car doesn't start and they say people used it at a distance. This is a challenge by me to you, even today the car doesn't start. It's been lying unused for 3-4 months now."
The family found a lawyer to help Nadeem out, who has been furnished with all the medals and certificates that Nadeem won for shooting. "He was a passionate shooter and participated in a lot of tournaments. What is wrong in having a licensed gun?," Waseem asked.
Jats Killed the Cattle and Muslims are Being Arrested: Raaes' Wife
When The Quint walked into a red-brick home which had heavy plastic sheets for a roof, Raaes's wife Tabassum was very eager to talk. While everything lay still, the sound of her daughters sniffling grew heavier from a distant dark room.
She had asked him to not go out for tea, that she would make it for him but he left and never came back. The uneasiness of not being with him when he was picked by the police has stayed with her.
She believes the Jats orchestrated the killing and 'poor Muslims' were being targeted instead. "I want all our Muslim brothers to come out of jail. We don't have enough for food and water, how do we make ends meet?," she asks.
"Vo poore din tarri chalate the (He used to drive the battery van all day)," she said adding that he made barely Rs 300-400 a day for a family of six, excluding herself. Insisting that her husband was at the Ijtema on the day of the incident she said, "Agar aadmi dua main laga hua hain toh kya aisa karega Musalmaan? (If a man is occupied with prayers, will a Muslim do something like this?)"
Raees' father, who is almost 70 and has breathing trouble, has resumed work on his old rickshaw for lack of an earning member. “My father-in-law can't go out everyday. He can't even see properly. I have six daughters, who will take care of us?" Tabassum asks.
‘Kaala Was a Butcher 6-7 Years Ago’
"...But he stopped after the shop was closed and wasn't even living in Bulandshahr for the last five months. He was close to Muzaffarnagar in Khatoli at his wife's home when he was picked up by the police," his younger sister Reshma* said.
"Gunhegaaro ko pakad ke naam kamao, aise begunaho ko pakadke naam na milta, (Make a name for yourself by arresting those who've done wrong, by arresting innocent people you can't make a name)," she told The Quint.
She said the police didn’t find any evidence against him but arrested him “merely on the basis of suspicion”.
"They have come home several times and asked us to surrender knives. We kept telling them to search wherever they wanted. The truth is we have no knives," Reshma said. During these visits the cops also inquired about Kaala's younger brother. "He sells clothes, see?," Reshma tells The Quint, pointing towards a pile of clothes.
The persistent questioning has made them very anxious. They've lost one brother and can't fathom losing another.
Denial of Allegations Vs Insistence of Evidence
The newly appointed SHO of Siyana police station, Kiranpal Singh, says, "They will not accept they've done something wrong. They can say whatever they want but we have evidence to prove our claims," he insists.
But the three families say the Muslim men have been falsely implicated.
Nadeem's father says, "I have full faith in the judiciary of my country. I feel the court will adjudicate on our behalf as my child is innocent", as his seven-year-old grandson awaits his father’s return with a medal.
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