5 teens killed were caught in crossfire

Jahan said,“He had a gunshot wound and bruises all over the body. When my sister came to take the body of her son,she wouldn’t even look at me. His exams were approaching,but I had persuaded her to let him come this week. This family will be broken forever.”

Almost all the six killed in Friday’s mob violence were bystanders. All except one were under 20 years old.

Asif,another one of those killed,was standing on his terrace opposite Masuri police station,the epicentre of the night’s events. He was trying to catch a glimpse of the violence. “I told him to stay in the house. But he said he would not get hurt. A while later,we heard a scream and rushed upstairs. He was dead. His brother Nazim had a bullet wound to the stomach,” Asim’s cousin Wajahat said. His family had to wait three hours before they could take the two to hospital. Asif was declared dead on arrival. Nazim’s condition is critical.

Wahid had gone to the gym in the evening. Around 8 pm,he called up his family. “He told us that he had parked his Honda Activa on the roadside as the police weren’t letting him come back. He didn’t call again. The next morning,we were asked to collect his body. I’m sure he didn’t join the mob,” a relative said.

While family members of Amir (16) and Wahid (18) did not wish to speak at length,they said the two were caught in the crossfire. Wahid went to look for his younger brother,and Amir was told to bring his father home. Amir’s father returned,but he didn’t.

Another of those killed,19-year-old Wasim,was the first of his family to pursue a BTech degree,from Sunder Deep College.

At 35,Hayat was the oldest of the six who died,and was,perhaps,the only one to be involved in the clash. One of his friends said,“He was called and told that somebody had desecrated the Quran,so he left for the mosque. That was the last we heard of him.”