Working at Leopold, he was the only son of widow in Uttar Pradesh

On Saturday, however, he returned to the village dead. Hidayatullah’s mother is in a state of shock. Speaking to The Indian Express over the phone, Farzad Jahani, one of the partners in Cafe Leopold, confirmed that Hidayataullah was one of his two employees who died in the terrorist attack. The other was Peeru Patsha.

“When the terrorists opened fire, the staff ran out. Hidayatullah and Peeru were hit and fell down. After the firing stopped, the staff took them to the hospital where they both were declared dead,” said Jahani.

Villagers say Hidayatullah was the son of a small farmer Anwarul Haq, who died many years ago. The family’s only source of income was its small piece of land which it gave out for cultivation to others.

After his elder sister got married, Hidayatullah left the village and went to Mumbai in search of a job. He had studied up to Class 12 and had also done a course in computers.

Ram Dhar Maurya, station officer of the Ghanghata police circle, said, “The financial condition of his family was not good. Hidayatullah’s mother Noora Khatoon had been getting a widow’s pension of Rs 300 per month after the death of her husband.”

After three months, Hidayatullah got a job in a private firm. No one is sure what job he was doing. But everyone knows that he joined Café Leopold about three months ago. On November 27, a neighbour received a call from Mumbai. The caller, who identified himself as a friend of Hidayatullah, said Hidayatullah had died in the terror attack.