Jamia Student Attacked with a Razor Blade by Pickpockets on a DTC AC Bus

On his way to Jamia in a DTC AC bus on Sunday, March 29, Asif Iqbal, a Jamia student of engineering, was brutally attacked and badly injured by a pickpocket wielding a razor blade, in broad daylight in a bus full of people.

According to Asif, he got on the bus at Saket on Sunday, sometime around 5:30 p.m to go to Jamia. A few stops later he noticed a couple of young men in the age range of 25 and 30 years, picking some passenger’s pocket right in front of him. Asif felt he should not be a mute spectator of a crime in-progress and thought he should at least bring it to the bus conductor’s notice.

As Asif went up to the bus conductor and pointed out the criminals on the bus, one of them noticed Asif complaining to the bus conductor. This apparently enraged one of the pickpockets so much that he walked down the aisle towards Asif with what looked liked a razor blade and made two swipes at him. The first swipe of his razor blade was at his face, which thankfully just grazed his cheek leaving a faint cut. However, his second swipe slashed open his left arm from about his shoulder to his elbow.

Asif says the whole thing happened so fast that he didn’t even instantly realize his arm was deeply cut and he was bleeding profusely.

Astonishingly, according to Asif, nobody came to his rescue. Nobody even spoke up. Everyone in the bus stood silent and just stared at Asif and his attacker for the next few minutes till the next bus stop at which point the attacker and his accomplice, got off the bus. It was only after his attacker got off the bus, did some lady get up and offer her dupatta (scarf) to Asif to tie it around his wound. Besides that one lady, Asif tells Jamia Journal, nobody said or did anything for him.

Asif got off the next bus stop and took an autorikshaw to the hospital, where he got 16 stitches on his arm.

It’s been three days since the incident, and Asif tells us his wound is healing well and he does not feel any pain.

Though he doesn’t feel any physical pain, Asif is still not over the emotional pain he felt when nobody came to his rescue. That emotional scar, Asif tells us, is far deeper and lasting.

“Dard laiken abhi bhi iss baat ka hai ke kisine bhi bus mai meri madad nahi ki,” said Asif.