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In a three-storey house nestled right next to Abu Bakr Siddeeq mosque in Amausi, Lucknow, is a room which now feels empty. A family which consisted of 10 members has been reduced to nine—with the youngest of the house, 12-year-old Unaiz Khan, shot dead at point blank range on 2 March.
"Hasta khelta bachha humara... pata nahi Allah ta'la ko kya manzoor tha," (Our happy, playful child. I don't know what God wanted), Unaiz's father Zameer Khan, 38, broke down as he spoke to this reporter over the phone.
Zameer runs his shop, Bright Electricals, in Transport Nagar barely 10 minutes away from his home.
2 March was anything but a mundane day of Ramzan. This is a story of a birthday party that turned deadly and cut a young life short in an unexpected, brutal way.
On that day, Unaiz informed his mother, 35-year-old Shama Feroz, about his friend Navneet’s party. As it clashed with the time for iftar, Shama told him not to go. But Unaiz kept his fast and insisted that if he didn't go, his friends would feel bad.
Unaiz added that with their exams ending and Navneet having recently changed schools, he didn’t want to miss the chance to be part of this gathering. He bought chocolates and wrapped them as a gift for Navneet and his friends.
Unaiz's cousin, 25-year-old Sadaf Fatima, told The Quint, “Around 3 pm, his friends came in a car to pick up Unaiz. They said, ‘We will make him break his fast with us, and we will drop him back home too.’ Unaiz even called his mother from their house to tell her that he had eaten. That was the last time he spoke to us.”
Nearly half an hour after that call, the next one came from Navneet’s parents. They informed them that Unaiz had been in an "accident" and was admitted to Lok Bandhu Hospital.
Sadaf recalled that the moment Shama got the phone call, she screamed. “She took her naqaab and rushed. When she reached the hospital, she cried but then she just froze in shock,” she said.
According to Unaiz's family, the police initially told them that he had been shot and was undergoing treatment. One and a half hours later, as media presence grew and some more relatives gathered, Zameer was allowed to see Unaiz.
That is when Zameer found out that Unaiz had been shot in the middle of his forehead and had been dead for the past 2-3 hours.
Unaiz Khan was shot at point-blank range.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
“My little, 12 year-old, has gone in the blink of an eye. It's so painful... I can't stop thinking about him. We had our own small world... just the four of us. I don't know why Allah took him.”Zameer Khan to The Quint
In a video that went viral after the incident, Zameer can be heard telling the police that if they were the accused, bulldozers would have already reached his house.
Speaking to The Quint, Zameer emphasised that Unaiz’s killing was not communal. It is what happened after which begs questions.
“There is no Hindu-Muslim angle here, nothing communal. Why would Unaiz have so many Hindu friends then? He went [to the party] because of his friendship. But I have raised questions about getting justice, and about proper and fair investigation,” he said.
Sadaf chimed in, saying, “Nobody from our family or the Muslim community here have abused or blamed all Hindus for the crime. Had the accused been a Muslim, his house would have been demolished by now. If Unaiz had shot someone, it would have been made communal.”
The police had initially stated that the cause of Unaiz's death was "accidental firing". But the family asked, “How could they declare it as such without any investigation, when the family had not even received Unaiz's body?”
The FIR—accessed by The Quint—cites three provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS): Section 3(5) (criminal acts involving multiple persons), Section 103(1) (murder), and Section 351(2) (criminal intimidation).
The FIR mentions six accused, including three boys—Navneet, Kartikaye and Abhinav—along with Navneet’s driver and his parents, Sanjeev Tripathi and his mother (not unnamed).
Brother Visits Graveyard, Mother Battles Anxiety
The next day, on 3 March, the family buried Unaiz's body at a graveyard close to their home.
It is this graveyard that Unaiz’s brother, Usaid Khan, just three years older to him, visits almost every day. As Usaid talks to his brother's grave, he gives him updates about his life, their mother's health, and his exams.
Usaid has been furious ever since his little brother died. Not only because he was allowed to go to the birthday party, but also that he is now left with a huge regret: Not having spoken to his brother one last time.
"Mujhse bina baat karke chala gaya" (He left without talking to me)—this is what Usaid has said often since his brother died.
Usaid is currently in the middle of his class 10 board exams. He has even taken some of them after Unaiz’ death. But one thought now consumes him.
“The day Unaiz died, he left home wearing his brother’s shirt. So now Usaid keeps saying, ‘Maybe Allah meant it to be my turn. He meant to call me but he took my brother Unaiz instead,’” Sadaf told The Quint.
Sadaf also told The Quint that Unaiz loved football and wanted to pursue a career in it. He was the captain of the football team at his school, Stella Maris College. He was an extrovert, who loved making friends, and helping with household chores, his family said.
“His birthday is next month. He wanted football shoes and was praying for that,” Sadaf recalled.
As Zameer talked more about Unaiz, he continued to speak of his son in the present tense. The loss had not completely sunk in.
“It is his birthday on 15 April. He has big plans for Eid... his uncle was to come. He has passed his exams and has now reached Class 8," he told The Quint.
On the other hand, grief has taken its toll on Shama.
Shama did not have anxiety before. Unaiz's death changed that.
"She has been getting frequent anxiety attacks. On some days, it gets bad, and we have had to take her to hospital and to another doctor and get her medications,” said Zameer.
Meanwhile, in this case, Navneet has been sent to juvenile detention. The police had earlier detained the other boys as well.
Interestingly, one of the accused named in the FIR is Navneet’s father Sanjeev Tripathi. Sanjeev's brother Guddu Tripathi is the brother-in-law of UP Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, the family has stated.
In the FIR filed by the family, Zameer had alleged that there was an altercation between Sanjeev and him at school, but he told The Quint that it was resolved.
When The Quint spoke to Inspector Pradyumna Kumar of Krishnanagar police station, who is in charge of this case, he said, "One accused has been arrested. Investigation is on. The charges that have been applied do not warrant Sanjeev Tripathi's arrest. He was irresponsible with his gun and child and applicable charges have been applied against him. We cannot give more information as the probe is on.”
Meanwhile, Zameer repeated: “Our son won't come back, so all we can ask for is a fair investigation.”
Unaiz's sudden killing has sent shockwaves through the local community. Here, he had built friendships that crossed religious lines, his family recalled. And it was one of those very friends who reportedly shot him.
The post-mortem confirmed a bullet wound to Unaiz’s head, and that he had been shot at point-blank range.
For the family, this is a sombre Ramzan and even a more challenging Eid ahead. Everything in the house reminds Shama of Unaiz. Even the kitchen.
“Unaiz had a habit of clinging to his mother while she worked in the kitchen. He used to ask his mother questions like, "How do people go to heaven?" said Sadaf.
Today, whatever her answer might be, that is where Shama hopes her son is.