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What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
Surrounded by family and friends, Sukhbir Saini grieves the demise of his elder brother Shakti.
NUH (HARYANA): Around 25 kilometers away from Nuh city, Bhadas village bears an uncanny silence. Suspicion and mistrust run deep in a cluster of a few houses, referred to as ‘Hindu Tola’, by the majority Muslims in the village. Surrounded by family and friends, Sukhbir Saini grieves the demise of his elder brother Shakti.
“What was his mistake? He did not participate in any rally or riots?” Sukhbir wails.
Father of four children, Shakti Singh Saini (35) worked as a part-time cook at a local Gurukul, a school teaching ancient Indian knowledge and Hindu way of life.
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On that fateful day, when tensions soared and unrest spread after the clashes near a temple, Shakti received a call for help from the Gurukul. “He was told that a group of people had gathered at the school and an attack was imminent,” one of his family members recounted.
He immediately rushed out to the Gurukul, just a half kilometer away from his home, to rescue 4-5 people trapped inside. Little did he know that this act of courage would cost him his life.
For hours, Shakti remained untraced and his family members lived in hope that he would return safely.
But the next day, their worst fears were confirmed when some villagers informed them that he had been chased and attacked by people belonging to the majority. His lifeless body was discovered near an ice factory.
“He was only trying to help others, but he was caught by a mob and beaten mercilessly. His body bore multiple fractures, and his head was brutally smashed,” Sukhbir Singh Saini, a farmer, tells The New Indian.
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Shakti’s wife, Jaina Devi is unable to find the words and is weeping uncontrollably, mourning the loss of her beloved husband who has left behind two daughters, Khushi (14) and Mehak (8), and two sons, Anmol (12) and Sanskaar (6).
Speaking on the behalf of the family, Jal Singh Saini, another elder brother, demands: “We seek justice. The perpetrators of this heinous crime must be held accountable for their actions. We also appeal for assistance from the government to cope with this devastating loss.”
But justice seems elusive for this grieving family. The fear of further attacks haunts them, as communal clashes have become a recurrent menace in their village. Despite filing an FIR, the Saini family feels abandoned and insecure, with no police officers visiting their home.
Hindus account for only 10 per cent of the 7000-odd population of the Bhadas village.
