A normal day turned tragic for Bilal and his family. Bilal, a young businessman from Sambhal, left his home that morning to visit the market and check on his shop. But hours later, his family received a call that would change their lives forever. Bilal had been shot during clashes between the police and locals.
Bilal’s brother, Salman, remembers the moment he arrived at the hospital. “When I got there, my brother could barely speak. He whispered to me that the police shot him during the chaos. He said the police were shooting at anyone in sight, and one of those bullets hit him,” Salman recalled, his voice heavy with sorrow.
Bilal was transferred to a larger hospital in Moradabad, but he succumbed to his injuries on the way. The sudden loss has left his family in shock and filled with questions.
“My brother was just an ordinary young man trying to make a living. But now he’s gone, and we are left with unanswered questions,” Salman said, his voice breaking. “We just want justice. We want the police officers who shot him to be held accountable.”
The family alleges that their initial report to the police included the police as suspects in the shooting. However, according to them, the police pressured them to change the complaint. “The police forced us to change the complaint. They threatened us, saying, ‘This will not end well for you.’ When we mentioned he was killed in police firing, they removed it and threatened us again, saying, ‘This will not end well for you, and they will pick us up.’ Then, we were forced to change the complaint as per their directions,” Salman said.
Bilal’s father, Mohammad Haneef, was too distressed to speak much. “The police pressured us to change the report to match their version of events,” he said, his voice full of pain.
“I just want justice. I want the officers who killed my son to be punished.”
Bilal’s death is part of a larger story of unrest in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal. Tensions had been building over a legal dispute related to the Shahi Jama Masjid. During a survey in the area, a procession reportedly shouted provocative slogans like “Jai Shri Ram,” which many locals saw as an attempt to provoke the Muslim community. As the situation escalated, locals resisted the survey, and clashes broke out with the police. In an attempt to control the protesters, police used lathi charges, and when the situation worsened, they opened fire. Six young Muslims, including Bilal, lost their lives.
Salman said his brother had no part in the protest. “It’s unclear who started the violence, but my brother wasn’t even involved in the protest. He was just an innocent bystander who got caught in the line of fire,” he said.
The family is calling for a transparent investigation into Bilal’s death. “We just want accountability,” Salman said, tears welling in his eyes.
“He was young, full of dreams, and had no criminal record. Why did this happen to him? My brother was loved by everyone in the neighborhood. He never fought with anyone,” Salman added.
Adnan, 22, is mourning the loss of his own father, who was also killed during the protests. His father was simply going about his daily work when he met his end. “We got a call around 12:30 PM, and when we reached the scene, we found his body. There were no visible wounds,” Adnan said.
“He had no chance to tell us what happened. He was already gone.”
Adnan believes that there’s little hope for justice now. “What’s the point of an investigation now? My father is gone, and nothing will bring him back,” he said.
“Let’s just hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
The police, however, have said that the violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, was not a result of their actions, but rather the actions of the protestors. They have said that the attackers may have fired shots at the authorities during the clashes. The police have filed multiple FIRs, saying that the violence was pre-planned and aimed at obstructing the court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid.
The police also said that three minors were involved in the violence, and a knife was recovered from the scene. To date, 27 individuals have been arrested in connection with the incident, and investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of the violence and the involvement of other parties.
