Delhi riots: Man who shot national anthem video recounts what he witnessed

One of the five injured men being beaten up and forced to sing the national anthem subsequently died. His name was Faizan.

WrittenBy:Ayan Sharma
Date:
   

One of the most disturbing videos to emerge during the communal violence in Delhi shows five bloodied men spread out on a metalled road being beaten up and forced to sing the national anthem by, purportedly, a group of policemen. The incident, according to some of the victims and eyewitnesses, took place near Kardampuri on the afternoon of February 24.

One of the victims was Faizan, 23, from Gali No 5 in Kardampuri. He succumbed to his injuries two days later, apparently after being denied medical treatment by the police.

It’s yet to be ascertained who shot the most widely circulated video of the torture. Given that it was captured from a close range, the videographer was likely one of the policemen or a rioter standing with them.

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There's another video of the incident, shot from the terrace of a house across the road. Newslaundry tracked the man who made the video. He asked us not to reveal his identity for fear of reprisals from “the cops and the rioters”.

He talks about what he saw. "We asked the police to save that boy. We told them the men who had brought these injured boys there were not even cops,” he told Newslaundry. “Instead of listening to us, the policemen said it was none of our concern and that we should go inside our lane. They even threatened to shoot us.”

Watch.

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