Delhi: 8-Year-Old Madrasa Student Killed In A Scuffle Over A Disputed Land

On October 25, an eight-year-old boy named Mohammad Azeem was reportedly beaten in a fight between minor boys, following a scuffle over playing on a disputed plot of land outside his madrasa. The incident happened in Begumpur locality of Malviya Nagar, South Delhi. The four minor boys, who were apprehended have been sent to the juvenile home.

A scuffle between two groups

According to The Indian Express, on Thursday, at around 10 in the morning, Azeem along with other kids were playing outside his Madrasa. A fight broke out between two groups of different communities. In the fight, Azeem was pushed following which he hit his head on a motorcycle and lost consciousness, said DCP (south), Vijay Kumar.
An 11-year-old eye-witness said that he, Azeem and two other boys were playing in the ground when five boys from a nearby “Jhuggies” came and threw crackers and stones. They reportedly even abused them. Afterwards, four boys picked up Azeem and threw him on a bike, causing him injuries. Soon, he was rushed to the hospital by the locals but was declared dead on arrival. The officer says that it appears that the boy died of “internal injuries”.
Madrasa’s caretaker, Maulana Ali Jauhar said Azeem hailed from Haryana’s Mewat and was in the madrasa for almost ten months, from January 2017. While talking The Indian Express, Jauhar said, “He never fought with anyone. While he was playing with other kids from the madrasa, some local boys came and started hitting them… One of them threw him on a parked motorcycle.”
The victim’s family has been informed, and a post-mortem was slated to be conducted at  All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on October 26.
The four boys, all of the age 12, who are the accused in the case have been sent to the judicial custody, told the police. One of the accused’s grandmother said,  “It was a fight between children over a minor issue. Police took him after the incident. I don’t know where he is.”

The disputed land

The police said that both the groups had almost five to six students and their fight started oven playing on a plot of land. The officer also said that they were verifying all the information from both sides. Further, a team has been deployed to maintain peace in the area, the officer added.
A team of United Against Hate, headed by Nadeem Khan went to the Madrasa and talked to the students and teachers. The teachers told them that this was not the only incident of harassment and abuse in their locality, as reported by The Citizen.
The police said that the situation in the area always remains tense over the disputed land. The madrasa claims that they own the property whereas the residents of a JJ cluster in the area claim it to be a public land.
“At least 15 police complaints have been submitted in the last few months over minor issues. Last year, somebody had thrown a liquor bottle during Shab-e-Baraat,” said Muqeem, who lives at the madrasa.
Muqeem added that just a few days back on the occasion of  Dussehra a scuffle had erupted, however, he did not register a complaint in order to maintain the harmony between communities.
Source: The Logical Indian
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