“My grandfather Naimullah Shaikh fought alongside Param Vir Chakra awardee Havildar Abdul Hameed in the 1965 war against Pakistan. He also served in the war with China. His younger brother, Subedar Saleem of the Bombay Sappers, was another 1965 veteran. And my uncle, Lance Naik Hakeemuddin, fought in the Kargil war and has served in the United Nations Angola mission representing the Indian Army,” says Nawab Ali Shaikh, a resident of Chandan Nagar in Pune.
But despite this proud lineage of military service, Nawab says his family was branded as “Bangladeshi infiltrators” and “Rohingya” by a mob of around 70 men – accompanied by police – who barged into their home at midnight on Saturday.
More than 48 hours later, neither an FIR has been filed nor any action taken against those who stormed the house, despite a complaint being submitted.
“We never imagined something like this could happen in a city like Pune,” says 41-year-old Nawab Ali Shaikh. His family, originally from Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, has lived in Pune for the past 55 years. “We are a joint family. We’ve never faced discrimination before – until now.”
Inspector Seema Dhakne of Chandan Nagar police station acknowledged that a group of locals, including members of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad were on the spot. But she claimed that “no one entered the house”.
Dhakne said it’s “not unusual for police to conduct checks at night”. “We received information that some Bangladeshis were living there, so we went to verify…we told Bajrang Dal and VHP members their job was only to point out the house – not to stay back at the spot. We told them they were not supposed to act like that. We told them not to repeat this.”
“Some others gathered but the police didn’t let anyone enter the house.”
Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said: “The issue has come to my notice and I have told the DCP (Zone-4) to take appropriate legal action. We are also checking on the issue of why police were accompanying the mob and we will take proper legal action in this regard.”
This story was originally published in newslaundry.com. Read the full story here.