Mohammed Tanzil Ahmed was always more a friendly neighbour than a cop for them but the timing of and circumstances surrounding the NIA official’s death earned him the title “martyr” from the residents of Shaheen Bagh.
It is in this area where the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP)-rank officer spent the last two decades of his life which was > suddenly cut short in the early hours of Sunday.
In one voice — distant relatives, friends and neighbours who had gathered to pay their last respects — rejected the possibility of the death being the outcome of anything other that the enemies he had made in the line of his work, including the high-profile Pathankot airbase attack.
Mehboob Alam, another neighbour, said Mr. Ahmed would speak to him but had never mentioned if there was any reason for him to feel insecure and the death came as a shock for them. Acquaintances also described Mr. Ahmed as a devout Muslim who never missed his prayers. And his burial procession began exactly as the muezzin from the local mosque raised the azaan for the evening prayers.
Amid protests over his delayed arrival for the State funeral, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a compensation of Rs. 1 crore and other welfare measures for Mr. Ahmed’s family. While senior officers from the NIA attended the funeral, many pointed out that no Union Minister had attended the funeral.
Mr. Ahmed was laid to rest amidst chants of ‘Hindustan Zindabad’ and ‘Jai Hind.’
