What led to Huma Qureshi’s cousin’s murder in Delhi? A request to move a scooter

The alleged attackers, brothers Ujjwal (19) and Gautam (18), were neighbours of the Qureshi family. Both have been arrested. Police said Gautam used a “punch needle”, a tool used in embroidery, to stab the victim.

Asif, a businessman, was a meat supplier for local restaurants. His father is the brother of Saleem Qureshi — Huma’s father and the founder of Saleem’s restaurant. Asif’s brother, Javed, runs the well-known Al Quresh eatery in Nizamuddin, which was established by their father.

Shaheen and Asif moved into their ground-floor home on the cramped Bazaar Lane in Bhogal two years ago. Recalling the incident, Shaheen said her husband had simply asked the two accused to move their two-wheeler, which was parked at the entrance to their house.

“He was trying to reason with them, calling them ‘bhai, bhai’ (brother),” she said.

“But they abused him and punched him. I don’t know where I will go now. Whom will I live with?” she cried.

CCTV footage captured the sequence of events leading up to the attack. Initially, an altercation broke out between Asif and Ujjwal, with both shoving each other. Soon, Gautam joins the scuffle, and the brothers push Asif to the ground while throwing punches at him. Suresh, a neighbour who runs a grocery store across from Asif’s house, can be seen rushing in and trying to pull the brothers off him.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Suresh said Shaheen and Asif were at his store at the time. “We were talking. Asif then noticed the scooter in front of his house and saw Ujjwal standing there. He asked him to move it politely, but Ujjwal began hurling abuses at him. He picked a fight… His brother soon joined in.”

Suresh said he dragged Gautam off Asif’s back, but Ujjwal continued to beat him. Gautam then rushed inside his house — about 100 metres away — and returned with a sharp weapon.

“Gautam stabbed Asif in the chest, and he collapsed. I rushed him to the hospital in an auto that was outside our gali (street). The doctors there declared him dead,” said Suresh.

Preeti, a resident of the fourth floor in the same building where Asif lived, said he rarely fought with anyone. “Bohot khushmijaaj the (he was very happy-go-lucky). His friends visited often… we, too, would frequently run into him.”

At the accused’s home, the atmosphere was grim. The family lives in a three-storey building, with the brothers residing on the second floor along with their father, their uncle, and a cousin.

Their aunt, Archana (41), who lives on the ground floor, said the siblings have always been troubled. Gautam, she said, is unemployed, while Ujjwal is pursuing a BA and plays the dholak at local functions.

“They used to have frequent fights with other neighbours as well,” Archana claimed.

Nishant, a cousin, said even family members avoided interacting with the brothers because of their short-tempered nature. “I live on the first floor, but we hardly ever spoke…”

Meanwhile, at Al Quresh — nestled in a narrow, sloping lane in Hazrat Nizamuddin, two kilometres away — a somber silence hung in the air. The usually bustling eatery was filled with mourners.

Asif’s uncle, Mursaleen (52), and other family members were inside, while policemen and neighbours gathered at the gate.

“I was out on a business trip when I learned about the incident. I rushed back at 2 am today,” Mursaleen said.

“Asif and his wife started living separately about two years ago. His two children — a boy and a girl — live here above the eatery with his brothers and his first wife. We used to meet now and then,” he added.

DCP (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said, “Asif requested Ujjwal to move his scooter, but he did not pay any heed to the request. When Asif asked again, Ujjwal got aggressive and started hurling abuses and threatening the victim. Seconds later, he started beating Asif while calling out to his younger brother, Gautam, to come downstairs and kill him (Asif).”

Ujjwal and Gautam are now in police custody. Further investigation is underway, said police.