A 45-year-old ragpicker rose to fame in a day after she saved a police officer from the mob during the clashes in Seelampur. A WhatsApp video of her saving the official is making rounds among the residents while Anwari Begum sat on a rickshaw chatting with her friends as usual on Wednesday.
A resident of Seelampur jhuggis, Anwari is not aware of the nuances of Citizenship Act. She only knows that it has to do something against the Muslim community.
When The Hindu visited Seelampur, a resident showed a video of the incident in which an official wearing a uniform and helmet and holding a stick in his hand runs behind scores of protesters. Suddenly, the mob turns towards him and start pelting stones. The video made by a woman, who did not wish to be identified, can be heard saying “It was wrong for the official to come alone. He will get hurt”.
The official then runs towards a street where Anwari was sitting with a couple of people. She can be seen coming towards the crowd and asking them to stop. Her son also comes and stop the two men who were pelting stones.
Speaking to The Hindu , Anwari recalled the incident and said that the official came towards her and she made him sit. “Vo police wala sehem gaya tha [The police official was shaken]”. She turned towards the men pelting stones and told them “haath mat lagana [Don’t touch him]” after which they ran towards the other side.
Anwari and her family then took the official to the street and offered him tea. “He drank it and then left,” she said.
Anwari doesn’t know what Citizenship Act is. She only knows “Kuch Musalmanon ke khilaaf hai [There is something against Muslims]” but she said, “Whatever it is, it is against the leaders. What have the police done? Why beat them?”
Laraib, a resident, standing next to Anwari butted in and criticised the police for thrashing students at Jamia Millia Islamia . But she said: “They did what they did there but here, they should not have been attacked.”
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Rakesh Chawla, a resident said: “She is the real hero. She saved him, otherwise they would have hurt him very badly”.
Efforts were made to identify the official, but details could not be ascertained.
