They bound him with ropes, as though a human life could be reduced to a captive animal. Surrounded by a mob that showed no trace of mercy, 25-year-old Zakir Qureshi endured the unthinkable. Bats, iron rods, and even cricket wickets were brought down upon his body. Blow after blow landed until he could no longer cry out, until his consciousness slipped away. The mob continued, kicking, striking, and pulling at his hair, as if silence itself had provoked them to greater cruelty.
When word of the assault spread through the village, his elder brother Nihaal came running. He arrived not to find a scuffle, but a circle of nearly sixty men taking turns at brutality. In the middle lay his younger brother, bloodied, tied, and fading. Without hesitation, Nihaal threw himself forward, desperate to shield Zakir with his own body. The mob swallowed him too. Sticks and fists rained down; his right hand snapped under the force, and his kidney was badly injured. Even then, he tried to wrap his arms around Zakir, taking the violence meant for him.
Zakir was rushed to a hospital, but the wounds were too many, the blood too much. He died that evening, leaving behind a family shattered, a brother scarred, and a community haunted by what it had witnessed. When Miles2Smile heard the news, the team immediately approached the family. Zakir was gone; the hate consumed him. Fortunately, Nihaal was alive but was critical. The family struggled to meet Nihaal’s hospital expenses. Miles2Smile took the responsibility of the medical bills and immediately cleared them.
The incident unfolded on 11 May in Khanua Mohalla, Chhapra’s Ahitoli area in Bihar’s Saran district. The mob alleged cattle theft from the butchers’ quarter nearby and, spotting Zakir, declared him guilty without proof, without trial, and without a chance to speak. Their judgment was carried out with ropes and iron rods, and their sentence ended in death.
Nihaal’s survival carries its own punishment: the memory of a brother’s last moments, the screams he could not silence, and the life he could not save. The loss of Zakir’s family is not just of a son, a brother, and a friend, but of dignity stolen and humanity betrayed.
