Syed Saifuddin, a 43-year-old man shot dead by Railway Police Force constable Chetan Singh on a running train near Palghar Station in Maharashtra on Monday, was from Hyderabad, and leaves behind a wife, and three daughters, the youngest of whom is only six months old. Saifuddin who works in mobile phone shop in Hyderabad was travelling from Ajmer to Mumbai.
Mr Saifuddin was a resident of A-Battery Line, a neighbourhood of densely packed two-storey houses, most of which share common walls in a narrow street under the shadow of a large mosque of the same name.
It was around 11.30 a.m. on Tuesday that Syed Yunusuddin, the victim’s younger brother, received a call. “They called me from Mumbai. They said Saifuddin was shot and is serious and wanted to know if I was coming. That is all they said,” he recalls, still coming to terms with the reality that his brother is no more. “Then, the local police came for enquiries. That is when we got to know that he had passed away.”
Mr Saifuddin was accompanying Jaber Khan, according to those who know him, a septuagenarian. The victim worked with Mr. Khan at a mobile phone accessories counter in Gujarati Galli in Koti. He was engaged in this vocation for about 12 years, his family said.
Mr Saifuddin married 36-year-old Anjum Shaheen, nearly eight years ago. The couple was blessed with Syeda Saifa, the eldest daughter who is now six years old. The second daughter Syeda Anam is three and the youngest is Syed Akifa, just a toddler.
“My nephew is a martyr. He was killed by a uniformed man with his service weapon. This is a terrorist attack. He was asked his name and was killed. Is this sabka saath, sabka vikas? There is no way that he can be brought back. The governments, both State and Centre, should take care of the education of the three daughters, and give Saifuddin’s wife a government job,” said Mohammed Wajid, the victim’s maternal uncle. “We saw photos of a man lying on his back but had no idea it was him because the face wasn’t visible. It was much later that we got to know it was him.”
Around 5.53 p.m., sobbing, the family climbed down the narrow staircase from their dwelling located on the first floor and walked towards the main road where a minibus, which All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen legislator from Nampally Jafar Hussain Meraj, who was at the scene, had arranged. A few minutes later, they left for Hameelapur, a village about four km from Bidar. Mr Saifuddin’s body is scheduled to be taken from Mumbai to the village where he will be buried.
“Saifuddin came to Hyderabad from Bidar around 12 years ago. That is where the tadfeen (funeral) will be. His wife is from Basavakalyan,” said Mr. Wajid.
Mr. Saifuddin’s passing came to light only after AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted about his tragic death, which he described as a ‘terror attack’. Seeking help from the Telangana government, he posted: “AIMIM Nampally MLA @Jaffarhusainmla is with the family for the past few hours & coordinating with officials to bring the deceased’s body to Hyderabad. Request @TelanganaCMO @KTRBRS to support the bereaved family in these tough times.”
In another post, Mr. Owaisi stated that a previous post that described the killing as a ‘terror attack’ was withheld in India on account of a request of the Government of India. “What law did it violate? Is calling a terror attack a terror attack a crime? Wish the Modi govt. was this proactive in preventing hate crimes against Muslims,” he posted.
Meanwhile, the Nampally MLA said he had arranged for flight tickets for Mr Saifuddin’s family to travel to Mumbai where the deceased’s body is kept. “Five members of the family will fly to Mumbai and I will accompany them, along with the corporator. What has happened is the limit of communalism. Men who had beards were killed,” Mr. Meraj said.
