Families in Bareilly are in shock and despair after the police crackdown on Friday’s protests against FIRs filed in the wake of the “I Love Muhammad” campaign. Several young Muslim men and minors were allegedly picked up by the police and publicly paraded with folded hands. Since then, their families claim they have no information about their whereabouts.
Every day, mothers and sisters gather outside local police stations, pleading to learn about their missing relatives. Their stories echo the fear and helplessness spreading across the city.
One of them, Gulafshan, whose 17-year-old son was taken by the police on Friday night, recalled the moment he disappeared.
Gulafshan told Maktoob, “My boy had gone out just to get milk for the house. He has not returned since. The neighbours told us that the police picked him up during their raid from the next crossroads. When we go to the police station, they say nothing. He is just a child.”
She said, “He was at home the entire day on Friday being precautionary of the unrest and police action. He wanted to have tea so I asked him to bring a packet of milk. He went out and never came back.”
Today is the fifth day as asthma patient Gulafshan visits the police station to look for her son.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.