Gurugram violence: Muslim cop with Hindu name dies combatting mob

When Neeraj, 37, joined his colleagues in Haryana Police to contain the communal violence that spilled over to Gurugram from Nuh on Monday, little did he or anyone in his family anticipate that it was going to be his last day of duty in uniform. Having served the Haryana Police with discipline and dedication for 15 years, Home Guard Neeraj, a Muslim man with a Hindu name, was the sole bread-earner of his family. As communal violence in the Nuh district of Haryana spread to the adjoining Gurugram district, the Kherki Daula police station, where Khan was posted, received frantic calls for help from panic-stricken citizens. Neeraj, a resident of Garhi Wajidpur village in Gurugram, joined his colleagues as they went out to confront a violent mob carrying weapons such as guns, swords, iron rods, sticks and stones. As his colleagues were attacked by a raging mob, Neeraj also sustained a number of grievous blows from sticks and rods all over his body. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Monday evening. Neeraj is survived by his wife Vakila, two children — Nitin (10) and Nikita (6), and brothers, Sunil Khan and Sonu Khan. As the inconsolable family mourned the tragedy, Neeraj’s eldest brother, Sonu Khan, fought tears as he remembered the final moments with his brother.