A year of grief and fear for Hiran’s family: ‘We are living in peace and want our lives to be undisturbed, but there is fear’

The businessman was allegedly smothered to death by a group of policemen on the instructions of the now suspended police officer Sachin Waze.

The pain of losing their father and the fear of police personnel is still evident on the faces of Hiran’s family members, who stepped out of Thane for the first time in December to conduct a puja for him.

“It was only on December 17 that we left Thane, for the first time, to go to Udaipur to complete the rituals after my father’s death,” says Meet.

He says that the numerous visits to Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and the National Investigation Agency’s offices after the incident meant that they could hardly grieve in peace. However the fear of being targeted by unscrupulous elements in the police force is also a looming fear that the family constantly worries about.

“We do not have any demands from the government or anyone else. We are living in peace and want our lives to be undisturbed. There is, however, this fear that if the man responsible for my father’s death comes out, he may harm us as well,” says Meet.

He claimed that the family was so scared of the police after their father’s death that they were against the idea of registering a case of murder as they knew that former cop Sachin Waze, who is “highly resourceful and also capable of harming them”, was involved.

“Jab hume pata tha ki police wale ne he humare pappa ki jaan li, tho hum police main he kaise FIR darj karte (When we knew that a policeman had taken the life of our father, how could we lodge a complaint against him with the police),” says Hiran’s 20-year-old son Lucky.

However, their mind changed after senior police officials from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad convinced them to lodge a complaint, due to which the FIR was registered two days after Hiran’s body was recovered from a creek in Thane.

On February 25, 2021, a Scorpio laden with gelatin sticks was found outside Antilia.

Subsequently, the owner of the vehicle, Hiran, was detained by Waze, who was allegedly forcing the Thane-based businessman to take responsibility for the crime. However, as he refused to do so, Waze, along with his co-accused, called Hiran to Ghodbunder area in Thane and allegedly killed him. Hiran’s remains were recovered on March 5 from the creek near Mumbra in Thane.

“Waze has a big network. We were worried that he could harm us as he has already taken the life of our father,” says Meet, adding, “That’s why we did not want to register a case. However, after senior police officials from ATS convinced us for hours, that gave us confidence, after which we agreed (to file a case).”

Hiren’s family could not trust any police personnel for months as even when Hiran’s wife Vimla’s statement was being recorded by the ATS at its office on March 7, they ensured that she was surrounded by relatives and family friends.

As the threat still persists, the family has been provided security by the Maharashtra government. Hiran’s two sons Meet and Lucky, wife Vimla and elder brother Vinod are always accompanied by a gunman. Three other policemen are stationed below their residential building in Thane.