A vocal sympathiser for Golu in the Pandav Nagar locality where he lived and took the girl away from is his next door neighbour Razia and her family. Ms. Razia, who has grandchildren of the same age as the purported sexual assault victim, said she had complete faith that Golu was innocent, adding that “even if he wasn’t, the mob had no right to kill him”.
Regular visitor
She said that Golu was a regular visitor at their house and the frequency had increased in the past few days as his house was being reconstructed. She said she had never doubted him and he would even come and sleep at their house. Even on the day of the alleged incident he had slept there for a couple of hours.
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When asked why he took the girl he did not know to the park without her family’s consent, Ms. Razia said even if he had done something wrong they could have handed him over to the police. Golu, who was unmarried, lived with his parents and his elder brother’s family. He himself has a nephew and a niece.
But while Razia’s family had close familial ties, others in the area, though not sharing the same kind of confidence, said there was nothing noticeably untoward or suspicious about his behaviour.