22 yrs on, ‘dead’ man back, ‘killer’ demands justice

As teenagers, both Mohiuddin and Ahmed had left for Mumbai in search of jobs on January 14, 1982. After a few days, Ahmed lost contact with Mohiuddin. He returned in April only to be charged with Mohiuddin’s murder.

The CPI(M)-led panchayat set up a makeshift ‘‘court’’ and pronounced Ahmed guilty. He was handed over to police, who failed to prove Ahmed’s ‘‘crime’’. But that did not end his trauma. His neighbours continued to ostracise him.

At 41, Ahmed is a broken man now. ‘‘I was tortured both physically and mentally. And the man responsible for this is Kamal Ahmed, a neighbour. It was he who spread the rumour that I had murdered Mohiuddin. I thought of going to court but did not have the money to do so,’’ Ahmed said.

‘‘My brothers deserted me. I could not get married and I was rejected wherever I went to look for a job,’’ he added.

In comparison, 37-year old Mohiuddin has found success as a fruit-seller in Mumbai. He has changed his name to Suraj Choudhuri and become a member of the Shiv Sena. ‘‘I did that to survive in Mumbai,’’ said Mohiuddin. ‘‘It was last year that I met somebody from my village. He told me that Ahmed was being punished for ‘murdering’ me. So, I decided to come back,’’ he added.

Officer-in-Charge of Haripal police station Samir Lala said he has heard of the incident but his hands are tied. ‘‘It’s upto Ahmed if he wants to go to court or not. We can act if a complaint is made,’’ he said.