Harassed by cops & mob for citizenship proof, say Kargil War veteran’s kin in Pune | Pune News

Pune: A Kargil War veteran’s household in Chandannagar has alleged harassment by the Pune police and a gaggle of unidentified people, who stormed their residence round 11.30pm on July 26, asking them to show their Indian citizenship. Two different members in the household have been veterans of the 1965 and 1971 wars. The relations claimed that every one the lads have been then taken to the Chandannagar police station round midnight. “We were told to wait until 3am and produce documents to prove our citizenship, failing which we were threatened that we would be declared illegal immigrants from Bangladesh or Rohingya,” a member of the household advised TOI.Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar on Tuesday advised TOI: “The deputy commissioner of police (DCP) for the zone is investigating the matter. If any negligence is found on the part of the police, we will take appropriate action against the personnel involved.” He mentioned: “Preliminary investigations revealed that the police personnel did not forcibly enter the house. However, there are allegations by the family regarding the issue. The DCP is verifying the claims.”DCP (Zone IV) Somay Munde mentioned: “The family was only asked to produce documents after our team visited the spot based on inputs about some Bangladeshi nationals illegally staying in the locality.”Hakimuddin Shaikh (58), who retired as a Naik Havildar from the Indian Army’s 269 Engineer Regiment of Corps of Engineers, mentioned: “I served the nation with pride for 16 years, from 1984 to 2000, and even fought the Kargil War in 1999. I am an Indian citizen, and my entire family belongs to this nation just as I do. Then why are we being asked to prove our citizenship? We never imagined something like this would happen to my family.“Hakimuddin lived in Pune till 2013 earlier than transferring to their hometown. However, the remainder of his relations, together with brothers, nephews, and their wives, nonetheless reside in Pune, and so they have been all requested to show their citizenship on the evening of July 26. The household, initially from Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh, shifted to Pune in 1960.Hakimuddin’s brother, Irshad Shaikh, mentioned: “Not just my brother, but my two uncles, Shaikh Naeemuddin, who retired from the infantry unit of the Indian Army, and Shaikh Mohammad Salim, who was with the Army’s Engineering regiment, also served the nation. Both of them fought in the 1965 and 1971 wars for the country.”He mentioned: “What shocked us the most was that it wasn’t the police leading the group, but a group of 30-40 unidentified men who were demanding that our family members show them documents. The intruders were shouting slogans when a policeman in plain clothes stopped them. A police van was parked at a distance from our house, where a uniformed officer was waiting.”Hakimuddin’s nephew Naushad Shaikh mentioned: “Even when we produced documents like Aadhaar cards to prove our citizenship, the individuals who were shouting at everyone, including women and children from our family, said the documents were fake. The individuals were behaving like goons, as some of them were even kicking the door, asking women to wake up and show their documents.”Nawab Shaikh, one other nephew of Hakimuddin, mentioned he was born in Pune and lived in the town all these years. “When such things happen, common people reach out to the police for help. But when the police themselves help a mob, it is difficult to understand who we should go to,” he mentioned.Yet one other nephew, Shamshad Shaikh, mentioned: “We were called to the police station the day after the incident. After keeping us waiting for over two hours, we were informed that the police inspector is not coming, and that we can leave. Our documents are still with them.” He mentioned the household was but to know why the police crew had include a mob late at evening as an alternative of instantly asking them to indicate paperwork.DCP Munde mentioned: “Our team visited the spot based on some information and asked them to show their documents. When it was found that they were Indian nationals staying in the city, we allowed them to go. We have a video recording of the police team’s visit to the spot. Our team was not accompanied by any third party.”(With inputs from Gitesh Shelke)