Delhi violence: 2 brothers, migrant labourer, octogenarian woman among 38 dead

New Delhi, Feb 27: The death toll in the communal violence in northeast Delhi over the amended citizenship law reached 38 on Thursday, senior officials said.

A labourer who had migrated from Bihar, a garage owner, and a driver and his younger brother were among the 38 people who lost their lives as armed mobs ran amok in the streets of northeast Delhi.

Aamir (25), who worked as a driver, and his brother Hashim (16) set out from Ghaziabad on Wednesday to check on their elder brother Shairuddin in Gokalpuri, one of the focal points of the violence. The two never reached Shairuddin's place.

Deepak Kumar (34), a native of Bihar's Ara district who worked in a manufacturing unit in Gokalpuri, was trapped in the violence and shot dead by rioters on Tuesday. His brother Ajay said he was shot multiple times in the head.

Mubarak Hussain (31), a tile unit worker who lived in Vijay Park area was also shot dead on Tuesday afternoon in Maujpur, which was among the areas worst-hit by the violence.

Akbari (85) died due to asphyxiation after her house at Gamri village near Khajuri Khas was allegedly set on fire on Monday.

On Thursday, her family took her body home to Meerut. Parvez Alam (50), a garage owner, from Ghonda was shot in his back while he was trying to pacify an irate mob. His 20-year-old son Mohammed Sahil and nephew rushed him to hospital on a motorcycle.

They put a tilak on their foreheads to escape the angry crowd on the way. Alam died during treatment at the hospital.

Rahul Solanki (26), who was pursuing his LLB from a private college in Ghaziabad, was shot in his right shoulder on Monday when he had stepped out to buy milk.

On Wednesday, his father requested security personnel to give them protection so that the family could conduct his last rites peacefully.

Muddasir Khan (35) was shot outside his house in Kardampuri on Monday. He sustained a bullet injury on his head and was declared brought dead by doctors at GTB Hospital. Most of those who were killed suffered gunshot injuries and were brought to the GTB Hospital.

Also among the dead are Delhi Police Head Constable Rattan Lal (42), Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma (26), Mohammad Faizan, Suleman (22), Mohammad Zakir, Mohammad Musharaff (33), Ashfaq Hussain (22), Vinod Kumar (45), Vir Bhan (50), Mohammad Furqan, Rahul Thakur (23), Mohsin Ali (24), Aman (17), Bir Bhan Singh (50), Pravesh (48), Marrof Ali and Aman (18). Many are yet to be identified.

Communal violence over the amended citizenship law had escalated in northeast Delhi on Tuesday as police struggled to check the rioters who ran amok on streets, burning and looting shops, pelting stones and thrashing people.