When a ‘voice of calm’ came in the line of fire

NEW DELHI: Artist, curious reader, amateur photographer and theatre enthusiast —

Shadab Farooq

dons many hats. But his most important role, his friends claim, is that of a “hyperlocal pacifist.”


Farooq, the 23-year-old student, who was shot at by a gunman during an anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest near

Jamia Millia Islamia

on Thursday, is originally from Jammu’s Doda district. A second semester student at Anwar Jamal Kidwai Mass

Communication Research

Centre, Farooq had completed his graduation from the English department at Jamia before joining MCRC.

The mass communication student had been the voice of calm, especially after the new citizenship law came into effect, said Simran, a close friend. “He believes in non-violence, in the power of dialogue and in standing up for justice. When protests started at Jamia and police stormed into the campus, Shadab helped ferry people into ambulances and was there when the injured were admitted into hospitals,” she added.

On Thursday, Farooq and his friends reached Jamia Millia Islamia early to mobilise people to join the march to Rajghat in north Delhi. “We were ahead of the march just to scan the area and generally observe the conditions. There was a lot of police presence and they had barricaded the road leading to Sukhdev Vihar,” said Aamna, an eyewitness of the shooting.

Aamna said a man brandishing a gun suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began to shout. “He was facing us and we could very clearly see that he was waving a gun. He looked disturbed and it seemed like he would shoot. He kept on shouting yeh lo azaadi. Since the police was just a few metres away, we called out to them for help, but nobody did anything. They just stood there and watched,” she added.

She claimed that police apathy was apparent in the way they dealt with Farooq after he had been shot. “We repeatedly pleaded with the policemen to remove the barricade so we could take him to Holy Family Hospital. But the policemen did not listen to us. Farooq finally had to scale the barricade, with blood dripping from his left hand, to reach the hospital,” she added. After being administered first aid, the 23-year-old was referred to All India Institute Of Medical Sciences trauma centre.

“Ironically, Farooq’s birthday falls on Independence Day. And he was shot at on the same day that

Nathuram Godse

gunned down Gandhiji. The man who shot him seems to follow Godse’s ideology,” said

Shafaq

, a college senior.

There were seniors, classmates, members of Jamia’s theatre group and friends from different regions and religions waiting outside the trauma centre, reflecting the idea of India that students have been fighting to preserve. According to close friends who visited Farooq at the trauma centre, the shards from the bullet remained lodged in his left hand, but there was no nerve damage.

“If I had to use one word to describe Farooq, it would be brave. He knew he could get shot, but he did not want others to get injured. But we will never forget what happened today. In the end, we need to remember that he is a student who was shot because mainstream politicians are constantly calling for violence,” Simran added.

In an official statement given in the evening, Jamia authorities said that Farooq successfully underwent surgery and is recovering well. Farooq’s father, who is a teacher in Jammu, and his elder brother are expected to reach the capital on Thursday night.

We pleaded with the cops to remove the barricade, but they didn’t. Farooq finally had to scale the barricade with blood dripping from his hand, a friend says.

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