Kargil war veterans family heckled, harrased by mob, asked for citizenship proof
The mob comprising 30-40 men reportedly arrived at their home in Chandan Nagar area late at night on July 26 demanding citizenship documents and threatening to label them as Rohingya from Bangladesh if they failed to comply.
PTC News Desk: The family of Kargil war veteran Hakimuddin Shaikh was allegedly heckled and harrassed by a mob of unidentified men accusing them of being illegal immigrants and demanding proof of Indian citizenship.
The mob comprising 30-40 men reportedly arrived at their home in Chandan Nagar area late at night on July 26 demanding citizenship documents and threatening to label them as Rohingya from Bangladesh if they failed to comply.
The family is originally from Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh. They have been living in Pune since 1960.
Despite having a proud army history with members having served in the 1965, 1971, and 1999 wars — the male members were allegedly detained at the police station for hours during the night.
Expressing extreme displeasure over the treatment, Hakimuddin Shaik a retired Naik Havildar of the Indian Army's 269 Engineer Regiment who fought in the 1999 Kargil War, said "I served the country with pride for 16 years. My family is entirely Indian. Why are we being asked to prove our citizenship?" he said.
His brother, Irshad Shaikh, added that their family has a long history of military service. "My uncles Shaikh Naeemuddin and Shaikh Mohammad Salim fought in the 1965 and 1971 wars," he said.
The family maintained that the harrassment was initiated by mob and not police. "A group of men barged in shouting slogans, demanding documents. A police van was nearby and one officer tried to intervene, but no real help came," Irshad alleged.
The family registered a complaint with the Chandan Nagar police and said that the police had received inputs about presence of illigal Bangladeshi immigrants.