'No Arrests Yet': Alwar Family Awaits Justice for Infant's Death in Police Raid

The police were raiding the Muslim family's house in connection with a cybercrime case, reports Tabeenah Anjum.

Razeeda Meo, 26, grieves inside her house in Alwar where her newborn was recently killed during a police raid.

(Photo Courtesy: Tabeenah Anjum)

As the sun sets, casting a warm glow over the rural landscape of Raghunathgarh village in Alwar district of Rajasthan, a low hum descends on the front yard of Imran and Razeeda Meo's rundown, one-story brick house. A group of locals are sitting together on the ground to break their fast during the holy month of Ramzan. But unlike the usual iftaar feast, the food is modest, and the gathering subdued. They consume small slices of oranges and wash it down with water.

For the past fortnight, the group has been sitting at the exact same spot, staging a sit-in protest, to demand justice for the death of Imran and Razeeda's one-month-old daughter Alisba.

Alisba was allegedly killed during a police raid at her home on 2 March.

Villagers and neighbours sit in protest outside Imran and Razeeda's house.

(Photo Courtesy: Tabeenah Anjum)

The incident has left the village astir. "Our baby was murdered. The police killed her," her parents as well as neighbours alleged.

Razeeda's Ordeal

Since the raid, 26-year-old Razeeda has been in a state of shock.

She, her husband, and two sons had all been crammed and sleeping on a single cot when the police knocked on their door at 6 am on the fateful day. The police were allegedly raiding the house to "question" Imran in relation to a cybercrime case. A daily-wage labourer, Imran's family has denied his involvement in any such case.

“They entered the house and dragged my husband out. My daughter fell [out of the cot]—and the police stepped on her. I shouted and told them that there is blood coming out from the nostrils. I asked for help, but they didn’t listen to me. Instead, they interrogated Imran, locked him up in the police van, and drove away with him. I lifted my baby in my arms and realised she had stopped breathing."

Razeeda Meo, victim's mother

The couple's neighbours and relatives soon reached the spot and followed the van to the Naogaon police station to file a complaint against the police. The grieving mother added that no FIR was lodged at the time.

"Instead, they made my [elder] brother Shaukeen sign on a blank paper. Later we found out that police had written that the child was already unwell, leading to her death. They claimed this to be our statement to them, but we never said any of this. The cops tried to manipulate the case, only to save their fellow police personnel."

Razeeda Meo, victim's mother

When the FIR was not lodged initially, the family returned home disheartened.

"My sister was crying, and her health too was deteriorating. So, we took my child's body to Alwar Superintendent of Police (Rural) Sanjeev Nain's residence on the evening of 2 March, to demand justice," 35-year-old Shaukeen narrated.

"After that, the police lodged the case," he added.

The FIR (a copy of which has been accessed by The Quint) was registered at Naogaon police station, naming constables Girdhari and Jagveer, and unnamed police personnel, under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 103(1) (punishment for murder).

Soon after the FIR, the five personnel, including constables Girdhari and Jagveer, and constables Sunil, Rishi, and Shahid who had raided the house, were sent to Police Line, Alwar headquarters on Alwar SP's directions. The former SHO of Naogaon police station, Ajeet Badsara, is awaiting posting orders.

However, so far, no personnel have been suspended, a fact that Imran's family regurgitated many times.

With regard to the infant's death, a postmortem has since been conducted—and the body buried at a nearby burial ground.

Alisba's tomb, around 500 metres from her house.

(Photo Courtesy: Tabeenah Anjum)

"We carried a postmortem on the directions of the police. As soon as the reports arrive, only then we will know the details”, Sunil Chauhan, principal medical officer and head of Forensic Science Laboratory, Alwar, stated.

Hunting Cyber Criminals or Targeting Minority?

“The Mewat region (which includes the districts of Alwar and Bharatpur) in Rajasthan has become a hub of cybercrime—and police have blocked lakhs of SIM cards in the last few years. The crackdown across the region is an attempt to nab cyber criminals," Alwar SP Nain told The Quint.

"The raid at Imran’s house was part of one such search operation which took place at multiple houses on that very morning. The investigation is underway at the moment, and the officer concerned leading the case has visited the village and met family members."

Alwar SP Sanjeev Nain

On claims that the family members were forced to sign on a blank paper, Bhiwadi Additional SP Atul Sahu, who is in-charge of the case, said, “We are investigating at the moment. As soon as we get more details, we shall share those.”

"It was routine exercise to nab the cyber criminals. Imran too was on the list of the suspects, so the police went to his house for questioning," added Sahu. 

A relative points at the derelict condition of Imran's house.

(Photo Courtesy: Tabeenah Anjum)

Imran had returned home after two hours of questioning, and so far, no FIR has been lodged against him.

While cybercrime is a reality in the region, with many local and unemployed youth involved in such illegal activities, several media reports suggest that such police raids are part of a larger pattern of targeting working-class people, especially Muslims. This time, the villagers are set on justice.

“They [Razeeda and Imran] are not alone in this fight... the entire village here is supporting them. We sit with the family throughout the day in solidarity. We are protesting until we get justice," Ayub Ahmed, one of the protestors, told The Quint.

"We fear that this can happen with anyone if we don’t raise the concern. We want the policemen to be suspended at the earliest.”

Ayub Ahmed, local

Meo Muslims of Mewat: Pattern of Discrimination

Such fears have been allayed in recent years since Mewat, a region with high population of Meo Muslims, comprising areas of Bharatpur and Alwar districts of Rajasthan along with parts of Haryana, has witnessed multiple instances of cow vigilantes and violence against the community.

Meo Muslim men such as Pehlu Khan, Umar Mohammad, Rakbar Khan, Nasir and Junaid were either lynched or died after being attacked by cow vigilante or Hindutva groups. 

The police have also been accused of being partisan against the Meo Muslim population. In recent times, locals have alleged that the police often harass them on pretext of raids to nab cyber criminals ever since Mewat emerged as a hotspot for cybercrime activities. 

A large section of Meo Muslims, who were earlier engaged in dairy farming are now left in the lurch, owing to the risk involving transportation of cattle because of the presence of vigilantes.

The area has also seen demolitions of Muslim houses, leading to widespread condemnation by activists who have accused the administration of singling out and persecuting Muslims.

Opposition Corners BJP Govt

In the ongoing Assembly session, the Opposition Congress cornered the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for its lapses in solving cybercrime and the alleged killing of the child. Tikaram Jully, the Leader of the Opposition and Congress MLA from Alwar district, accused the government of harassing innocent people in the name of cyber fraud.

“Instead of nabbing the culprits, the BJP government is arresting innocent people and killing innocent lives too. We made it a point that the officer investigating the case should be from outside the district, which is why they appointed a cop from Bhiwadi is looking into this matter,” Jully, who met with the victim's family and village locals, told The Quint.

“Two weeks have passed so far... why are there no suspensions? Why does the FIR only mention two names when six personnel had entered the victim’s house? The BJP government's priorities are misplaced.”

Tikaram Jully, Alwar MLA

Meanwhile, Raisa, a CPI(M) leader in Alwar, who visited the family, told The Quint that the incident has caused a scare in the village.

"The police have been harassing people unnecessarily. Without any warrant, they just barged in early in the morning, when the family was sleeping. Even after that, no action has been taken against the guilty," she stated.

Imran's family asserted that apart from the CPI(M) leaders and Tikaram Jully, no elected representative from the ruling government has either visited or reached out to them.

For now, the village remains restive. The report of the postmortem is anxiously awaited. In the meantime, the small group, including the deceased infant's family, and locals are camped outside Imran's house in solidarity and protest.

As the evening wears on, a small crowd gathers outside Imran and Razeeda's house. They gather around the unmarked block of stone that has been erected on the ground to mark baby Alisba's final resting spot, a few hundred metres from the house, shedding tears and offering prayers.

"Even in the month of Ramzan, we will sit here and continue our protest until we get justice for Alisba," Ayub stated.

(Tabeenah Anjum is a journalist based in Rajasthan reporting on politics, gender, human rights and issues impacting marginalised communities. Her handle on X is @tabeenahanjum. This is an opinion piece. All views expressed are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)