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The family of Dhruv Raj Tyagi – a 51-year-old businessman who was hacked to death for resisting youths who allegedly sexually harassed his daughter in West Delhi – had for called a prayer meeting on Thursday, 16 May. But little did they know that the peaceful meet would soon be hijacked by outsiders looking to “use the family as a vehicle to communalise the killing,” since Dhruv was stabbed to death by members of a Muslim family.
Much to the Tyagis’ surprise, a group of strongmen, some in saffron robes, turned up at the meet for what they called a ‘mahapanchayat’. The Tyagi family suspects these men to be from Hindu right-wing groups like RSS and VHP, who, they say, raised inflammatory slogans asking for the eviction of all Muslims from the locality.
Dhruv’s father, Ved Tyagi, explains that the Tyagi community had called for a prayer meet in memory of the deceased. “But someone spread the word that it was a mahapanchayat. So Jats, Gujaras and other communities showed up and it became a Hindu-Muslim matter,” he added.
So disturbed was the family by the situation being created by outsiders, that Dhruv’s brother Tapeshwar had to plead with the mob to leave. “Some people were trying to disrupt the peaceful prayer meet by being aggressive and raising inflammatory slogans. I asked them to leave, and even had a fight when they refused,” he said.
While the Tyagi family fought against attempts to communalise the incident, Muslims living in the lane said that the group instilled a sense of fear in them. According to Riyaz Ahmed – who had taken Dhruv and his injured son Anmol to the hospital – on Thursday morning, loud slogans could be heard in the lane.
“Rumors started spreading that houses of Muslims would be torched and that riots would break out in the lane. My nieces had come over for vacation, but out of fear, I sent them to another relative’s house in Delhi. Some other Muslim tenants, too, had left for their relatives’ house, but they have come back now.”Riyaz Ahmed, Businessman
While some claimed that Muslims had indeed left the area, The Quint could not independently verify this claim.
Riyaz claimed that immediate members of the Tyagi family, whose injured members he had taken to the hospital, are “good people” who have lived in harmony with Muslims and do not see this as a Hindu-Muslim matter. However, a family of local politicians related to the Tyagi family are trying to “make their political career out of this tragedy.”
Riyaz is echoed by Mujahid Alam, who says that the family of the deceased do not harbour anti-Muslim sentiments. He adds that when a Hindu dies, Muslims of the area often take part in the funeral procession and vice-versa. However, he, too feels that “some leaders are trying to play a political game over this incident.”
So far, police have arrested six members of the family, including two women, in connection with Dhruv’s murder. His 19-year-old son Anmol, who too was stabbed and underwent multiple surgeries, is recovering at a hospital.
When asked about their message to groups trying to polarise the public, Tapeshwar Tyagi said “With folded hands, I request you to sympathise with us and not use us for your own gains. We only want peace. We don’t want a fight between Hindus and Muslims.”
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