Delhi Riots: Labourers, Law Enforcers, Grandmothers and IAS Aspirants Among 30 Identified of 42 Killed

For the past two days, News18.com spoke to families of the people killed in the riots in north-east Delhi trying to profile and piece together details of lives. They were labourers, sole breadwinners, businessmen, civil service aspirants, autorickshaw drivers, marketing professionals, policemen, and grandmothers, among others. Here are the 30 identified riot casualties, and their stories:

1) Rahul Solanki: The 26-year-old was a civil engineer by qualification and a marketing professional. He was shot in his throat in Babu Nagar near Shiv Vihar on Monday when he stepped out to buy groceries. Solanki had asked all his colleagues in north-east Delhi to remain in their homes because of the disturbance outside.

2) Mohammad Anwar: The poultry shop owner’s charred body was found by acquaintances in his neighbourhood in Shiv Vihar. The 60-year-old’s family had repeatedly failed to contact him since 11pm on Tuesday as his phone was unreachable.

3) Mohammad Furqan: The 30-year-old was shot in his stomach and his thighs in Kardampuri. A businessman who made wedding merchandise, Furqan is survived by his wife and two children: a three-year-old boy and a four-year-old daughter. His 64-year-old father runs a handicrafts store in the same area.

4) Ashfaq Hussain: An electrician from Mustafabad, the 22-year-old was shot five times in his chest and was also attacked with swords. He got married just two weeks ago, on Valentine’s Day. According to his maternal uncle Saleem, Ashfaq was trying to save women being attacked in the local mosque.

5) Vir Bhan Singh: A businessman and father of three children, the 48-year-old Karawal Nagar resident was shot in the back while returning from work.

6) Mahtab: The 22-year-old contractor was in the construction business. He was seized, stabbed and burnt after he stepped out of his house in Brijpuri to buy food from a local store. He was the sole financial support for his mother and sister.

7) Rahul Thakur: A civil services aspirant who was preparing for his third attempt, the 23-year-old was shot in front of some of his family members not far from his house in Bhajanpura. He had stepped just outside the gate of his building. Rahul’s father works in the Railway Protection Force.

8) Ishtiaq Khan: The 27-year-old was shot in his stomach in Kabir Nagar, Babarpur, according to his relative Munnafar Alam. He was in the welding business.

9) Mohammad Shahban: He was shot while closing his welding shop in Mustafabad around 5pm on Tuesday. The 22-year-old had heard about the disturbance in the area and wanted to rush home. He was shot in the stomach. His maternal uncle Tahir Khan, 50, said one of Shahban’s friends informed them about his murder. He was unmarried and has three brothers.

10) Suleiman: A native of Hapur, the 22-year-old worked as a blacksmith and lived alone in Loni. He was returning from Mustafabad when he was attacked with sharp weapons on his neck and with a blunt object on his head. Suleiman’s elder brother Yunus had come from Hapur to claim his body.

11) Mohammad Irfan: The 30-year-old was a cutting master who took up jobs at different tailoring shops. He was the solitary source of financial support for his 57-year-old mother Quresha. He was killed in Kartar Nagar near Pushta, 200 metres from his home.

12) Ratan Lal: A head constable who had joined the Police in 1998, he was posted in the officer of Assistant Commissioner of Police, Gokalpuri. The 42-year-old was killed by a bullet and was among the first casualties of the riots. He hailed from Sikar in Rajasthan

13) Mubarak Ali: Ali, 35, lived near Bhajanpura and was a painter. He was killed on his way back from work in the neighbourhood. According to his family members, he was untraceable between Monday and Thursday.

14) Alok Tiwari: A resident of Karawal Nagar, the 24-year-old worked in a cardboard factory and is survived by his wife and two children.

15) Ankit Sharma: He was a security assistant in the Intelligence Bureau and was allegedly killed by a mob in Chand Bagh. The 25-year-old’s body was found in the Chand Bagh drain.

16) Sanjeet Thakur: Thakur was bludgeoned to death using stones and sticks in Chand Bagh area. The 32-year-old worked in a welding unit and was a resident of Khajuri Khas. He is survived by his wife and two children.

17) Akbari: A mob set on fire Akbari’s house in Gamri extension near Khauri Khas. The fire killed the 85-year-old while most of her family members survived. Her son Mohammad Saeed Salmani said that their four-storey building was set on fire and because his mother was too old, she could not escape in time.

18) Aamir: The 30-year-old from Mustafabad was killed on Wednesday. Aamir’s relatives came to the hospital on Thursday in search of the deceased. Their worst fears came true. Elder brother Sheruddin said they were unaware of Aamir’s whereabouts since Wednesday.

19) Zakhir: The 26-year-old was a welder from Brijpuri and died after he was shot in his head and also assaulted on Tuesday evening.

20) Dinesh Kumar: Kumar, 35, died on Thursday evening after battling for his life in GTB Hospital. He was a driver and is survived by his wife and two children.

21) Musharraf: He was a resident of Kardampuri and a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh. The 25-year-old’s body was found in a drain in Gokalpuri. He is survived by his wife and three children.

22) Vinod Kumar: The 50-year-old died after a mob assaulted him and left him for dead. He was a resident of Arvind Nagar, Ghonda and his survived by his wife and two sons.

23) Deepak Kumar: Kumar, 34, was a factory worker and died of gunshot wounds. He is survived by his wife.

24) Parvez Alam: A car mechanic who ran a garage in Wazirabad, the 50-year-old was a resident of Ghonda. He was shot in the stomach.

25) Mudassir Khan: The 35-year-old autorickshaw driver is survived by two children. Details of his death could not be ascertained.

26) Mohammad Yusuf: A carpenter from Old Mustafabad, Yusuf was attacked near his neighbourhood while returning home. The 52-year-old is survived by seven children.

27) Mahroof Ali: Mahroof was killed by a bullet. A resident of Bhajanpura, he owned a shop of electrical goods.

28) Shahid Alvi: The 24-year-old was an autorickshaw driver and had got married a few months ago. The Bulandshahr native was shot in his stomach. Relatives said his wife Shaziya is pregnant.

29) Amaan: The cause of the 17-year-old’s death and how he was killed could not be ascertained. However, his relatives informed that he was admitted in Lok Nayak Hospital.

30) Hashim: The 17-year-old was killed in Mustafabad and his relatives identified his body on Thursday.