Residents around Batla House saddened by verdict, but not surprised

As the trial court in Delhi convicted Shahzad Ahmad for the murder of Delhi police special cell inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, no one living around Batla House, the location of the controversial 2008 encounter, was surprised. Residents of the area with a predominantly Muslim population, believe that once the union and state governments rejected demands for judicial inquiry in the matter, it was clear that the court would convict Shahzad. “We are sad, but not surprised. For five years now, we have been demanding a magisterial inquiry in the matter. The government’s argument is that such inquiry will demoralise the Delhi police, which means it believes that the boys were terrorists. Hence, we were expecting this ruling only,” said Firoz Alam, local resident and a retired staff of Jamia Millia Islamia university. [caption id=“attachment_986359” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Residents around the Batla House area during the incident. Image courtesy: AP[/caption] Residents here don’t buy the Delhi police version that amidst the exchange of fire in a flat on the fourth floor of house number L-18, Shahzad fled from the spot with one his accomplices. “It is practically not possible. There were policemen at the front gate of the building. And there is no structure on the back of the building. One can neither run away nor jump. How do you think they would have escaped?“asked Alam. Some even believe that the verdict can work against the Sheila Dikshit government in the upcoming assembly polls. The state government did not stand by the Muslim community on this issue, they say. “Ideally, this is the time to teach a lesson to the Congress. But only if the community speaks in one voice,” said Mohammad Iqbal, a resident of Batla House. Five years after the shootout, residents say,  life has returned to normal in the area and they have moved on. The stereotyping of Batla House residents as suspected terrorists is becoming a thing of past, they say. But Batla House’s history will always be defined as before and after the September 2008 incident. “That is still the reference point whenever we mention where we live,” said Amanullah, a local community leader in the area. The shootout between the alleged Indian Mujahideen operatives and special cell team took place in September 2008 at Batla House. Six days before the shootout, serial blasts hit the city killing 30 people. While two suspected IM operatives were killed during a heavy exchange of fire, one of them managed to escape. Out of the six men arrested soon after the encounter, Shahzad was the only one charged with killing inspector Sharma, according to the chargesheet filed by the Delhi police crime branch.