Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam
A mother is relentlessly searching for her son, who disappeared from one of the country’s premier universities, nearly two years ago.
A son lost his father in a brutal mob lynching incident by gau rakshaks, for allegedly transporting beef.
A doctor accused of medical negligence in the deaths of 45 infants in Gorakhpur’s BRD hospital.
Speaking to The Quint, on the sidelines of the ‘Freedom Without Fear’ event on Monday, 13 August, they all had one question each for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hoped that this Independence Day, they would get their answers.
Fatima Nafees: A Relentless Mother
For nearly two years now, Fatima Nafees has been waiting for her son, Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi on 15 October 2016.
According to Fatima, her son went missing right after an alleged attack by a group of students affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Parishad (ABVP).
In May 2017, the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from the Delhi police. Fatima claims there has been no progress in the search of her son, but is unwilling to give up. However, she has a question for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has remained silent about Najeeb’s mysterious disappearance despite her many attempts to reach out to him for intervention.
If my son had been the son of an industrialist or a minister, would his mother be fighting on the streets of New Delhi in the courts to find her missing son? Put yourself in my shoes and think about this. Do you have an answer for this? If you do, please do something to find my son.Fatima Nafees, mother of Najeeb Ahmed
Shehzad Ansari: A Son Who Wants Answers
Alimuddin Ansari was lynched by a brutal mob on 29 June 2017 for allegedly carrying beef. They reportedly beat him with sticks, formed a ring around the man and kicked him repeatedly. Alimuddin succumbed to his injuries soon after.
A Special Fast Track court in Ramgarh’s Jharkhand, in March 2018, awarded life imprisonment to 11 of the 12 accused. But within months, they were out on bail and Union Minister Jayant Sinha garlanded them and fed them sweets.
Alimuddin’s son Shahzad Ansari was working when he first heard the news of bail being granted to the convicts. He was “shocked” and “clueless” about breaking it to his mother. “I knew it would break her,” says the young Ansari.
I have a question for PM Modi, and his ministers. Ever since their government assumed power, why have mob lynchings become so rampant? The convict goes to jail for the crime, but they are moved out of it as well. The convicts are garlanded, and fed sweets by your minister. Why is that? What is the message your government wants to give to the nation? Why have you not taken any action yet?Shahzad Ansari, son of Alimuddin Ansari
Dr Kafeel Khan: Punished For Saving Children?
Dr Kafeel Khan, who was booked in connection with the death of over 45 infants due to lack of oxygen at Gorakhpur’s BRD Medical College, was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court on 25 April.
Citing that there was no evidence against Dr Khan, the Allahabad HC noted in its order, “…there is no material on record, which may establish medical negligence against the applicant individually. This quite apart from the fact that no inquiry was also undertaken or initiated.”
The doctor was booked under the charge of ‘attempt to murder’, and spent 8 months in jail. But the case against him still remains.
The UP government, in an RTI reply, has accepted that there was shortage of oxygen on 10 August 2017, and that Dr Kafeel Khan did save many children. If Dr Kafeel is not a convict and the UP officials committed the crime, when will they get punishment?When will you tell the parents that the deaths of 45 children was due to the government? When will they get compensation? When will they get justice?Dr Kafeel Khan, booked in Gorakhpur Hospital case
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