“Dil abhi tak ro raha hai sir… chaar din se kaam par nahi gaya hoon… ghar mein khane tak ko nahi hai.” These are the words of Mohd. Sameer, an e-rickshaw driver from Libaspur in Delhi’s Samaypur Badli area, who alleges that he was beaten by police after he caught a man he suspected of trying to steal his e-rickshaw and took him to the Libaspur police chowki.The incident came to light on social media after Sameer’s video of him crying while narrating the incident went viral.Sameer, who says he is the sole breadwinner of his family, has alleged that police personnel hit him on his hands with a baton instead of taking action against the man he had brought to the police post. He claims his hands became swollen and painful after the alleged assault, leaving him unable to properly lift them or drive his e-rickshaw.According to Sameer, the incident took place on September 6. He had stopped his e-rickshaw by the roadside in Libaspur to eat after working through the day. While eating, he noticed that his vehicle was being taken away. “I worked all day. I drove the rickshaw all day. I was tired. I was hungry at night. I stopped to eat something. I parked the rickshaw in front. I was looking at it again and again. Suddenly the rickshaw disappeared,” Sameer said while narrating the incident to FOEJ Media.He said he became frightened after noticing someone driving away with his e-rickshaw. He chased the vehicle and, with the help of another e-rickshaw driver, managed to stop the man. “When I caught the thief, there was so much crowd there. Everyone started saying, give him to the police,” Sameer said.Following the advice of people at the spot, Sameer said he took the man and his e-rickshaw to the Libaspur police chowki. He alleges that after reaching the police post, he came out to park his e-rickshaw. He said police personnel then questioned him about the man he had brought there. “I don’t know what he said to them. They started asking me directly, ‘Do you know him?’ I said no. They put their hands forward and started beating me,” Sameer alleged.”
Delhi e-rickshaw driver Mohd. Sameer says his hands swelled after the alleged beating. (Photo: FOEJ Media)
“They beat me very hard,” he said, adding that he was unable to understand why he was being hit. “My fingers were swollen on both my hands. It’s been four days now. Today, I am feeling a little better,” he said.Sameer said the injuries have affected his ability to work and he has not driven his e-rickshaw for four days and has consequently had no income during that period. “I am not able to earn anything. I am not able to do anything. I am thinking, how will I pay the rent?” he said.For Sameer, the immediate concern is not only the alleged assault but also what happens to his family while he remains unable to work. He lives with his elderly mother and says he is responsible for taking care of her. Sameer described his financial situation after the incident, saying there was no food at home and no gas. “Uss time bas yahi socha tha kya karoon, kya na karoon,” he said.
Sameer is the sole breadwinner of his family; the alleged assault has left him unable to earn his daily income.
His mother also recalled how Sameer returned home that night. “Bohot ro raha tha mera bachcha,” she said, recalling that Sameer was crying when he came home. She also said that Sameer’s father had died when he was around two-and-a-half months old.The incident has left Sameer questioning whether approaching the police was the right thing to do. In the video, he said, “Kisi ke saath kuchh galat ho na, toh police ke paas toh bilkul na jaae.”Explaining his distress, Sameer said he believed that taking the suspected thief to the police would lead to justice. Instead, he alleges, the situation turned against him. “Poor people get beaten up everywhere. This is the reality,” Sameer said.
