Man attacked at a village near UP's Muzaffarnagar, allegedly by the family of his Hindu wife
On Monday evening, Naseem Ahmed went out to buy a birthday cake for his baby boy, not knowing he would not live to see the party. On his way back with the cake, the 23-year-old was attacked at his village in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar, allegedly by the family of his Hindu wife.
Naseem was thrown off his motorcycle, beaten with sticks and shot at close range in the stomach and head.
"He wanted to surprise me," wept his 21-year-old wife Pinki Kumar, sitting next to her sleeping one-year-old. Her father and brother, named in the police case, are missing.
"I just want justice," she said repeatedly.
Naseem's uncle Nazr Mohammad, who was with him, said: "We had gone to pick up money from ATM and then bought the cake. When we reached the main road, we were attacked by four men. They were his in-laws. They said - we had been waiting to kill you."
People in the village are trying hard to make sure the murder doesn't disturb peace in the region scarred by riots in 2013 in which 60 were killed and thousands displaced. "There were some elements who had come from outside and had tried to escalate tension yesterday. But we are sure this is not a communal incident, more of a murder due to personal enmity," said Captain Gyanendra Kumar, the village head.
Naseem and Pinki, neighbours who had studied in the same school, married in 2015.
There are only 3,000 Muslims among the 13,000 residents of Bhokarhedi village and the area was largely peaceful during the riots. But in Pinky's family, there was a storm brewing.
"My family had beaten me up, and wanted me to get married to someone else. But I only wanted Naseem...I knew him from school," said Pinky.
The two eloped and started living in Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
Their son was born last year.
Last month, they decided to visit their village for the first time after marriage, with their baby, to celebrate Eid. Naseem was to leave but thought he would go after celebrating their son's birthday in the village on Monday.