At a demonstration in India, a Muslim teen was slain. His family is asking questions.

New Delhi Amid gunfire during skirmishes between police and Muslim demonstrators in Ranchi, eastern India, a person can be heard shouting, "They're firing bullets, they're firing bullets!" over the sound of gunfire.

Mudassir Alam, 15, is seen lifting his fist in the air in video from the demonstration on June 10 as the mob screams, "Long live Islam."

Mudassir collapses to the ground as more gunshots are fired.

As witnesses work to staunch the flow of blood from the teen's head wound, one of them exclaims, "He's dead!"

Mudassir, one of two young men slain in the Ranchi brawl and the most recent casualties of a widening religious chasm between India's majority Hindu population and its minority Muslim community, passed away later in the hospital.

After two former spokespeople for India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made disparaging remarks against Islam's Prophet Mohammed, there were a number of protests that broke out around the nation, including the one on June 10.

Parvez Alam, the bereaved father of Mudassir, claims in a police complaint that the officers "indiscriminately fired using AK-47s and handguns targeting the Muslim mob" despite the fact that he doesn't know who killed his adolescent son.

He asserted that while Mudassir was standing in the street, at least three additional guys were allegedly shooting shots at demonstrators from the roof of the nearby Shree Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple.

According to Alam's complaint, "there was a chaotic situation due to the firing from the temple roof and by the police, and one bullet hit my son in the head."

Mudassir and another guy, Sahil Ansari, were later declared dead at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science due to "bullet injuries" they got during the demonstration, according to Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Chhavi Ranjan.

The 20-year-old Ansari was returning home from his work selling telephones in the market when "police opened fire," according to Ansari's father, Mohammad Afzal, who spoke to CNN.

In response to a question about which mob he was referring to, Ranjan stated, "Police opened fire since the mob was violent and initial firing happened from the mob," but he would not specify which mob he was referring to because the situation was still being investigated.

The event is being investigated by a two-person commission, according to Inspector General of Jharkhand Police Amol Homkar, while a Special Investigation Team from Ranchi Police is also conducting its own investigation. Homkar reported that 30 individuals have been arrested in the days since the protest, however he did not mention any charges. He also reported that 12 people were hurt during the event.

CNN has reviewed video from the event, in which police are occasionally seen shooting randomly at the protesters, none of whom — including Mudassir — appear to be holding weapons.

The boy's father claims to desire explanations.
Alam remarked, "I lost my own child to this violence." He was just 15 years old, not quite an adult.

The shooting

When demonstrators gathered after Friday prayers, father and son were working at the family's fruit stand on Ranchi's Mahatma Gandhi Main Road.

He explained that he was taking down his fruit stand to prevent protest-related harm. I had Mudassir's assistance.

Alam described his son as a "really pleasant guy" who enjoyed filming TikTok movies and snapping pictures on his smartphone, like many teenagers his age.

Two days after his son's death, Alam reported to Ranchi police that he noticed a "crowd" from the "Muslim community" going north along the main road, and Mudassir joined them when they arrived at Shree Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple.

According to Alam, the individuals on the temple rooftop started throwing rocks at the demonstrators and then opened fire into the throng.

Several individuals, including police officials, are seen taking refuge on the ground floor in video taken inside Shree Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple and verified by CNN.
A woman's terrified voice can be heard above the sound of projectiles hitting the building: "At the temple, everyone is hurling stones.

The administration tries to put a stop to it, but they are unsuccessful." Protesters can be seen hurling rocks through the security screens of the shrine.

Family demands answers

Nikhat Parveen, Mudassir's grieving mother, was surrounded by women last Wednesday at the family's modest Ranchi home as she sobbed and wiped tears from her eyes.

Parveen informed CNN. After aiding his father, Mudassir called her to let her know he was returning home. Parveen remarked, "He placed his phone down, and then he died."

She mentioned that her son was anticipating the results of his high school exams; on Tuesday, they learned that he had received straight As in five of his six Year 10 subjects.

He used to say to me, "I'm going to get a job with the government. I'm going places in life," Parveen declared.

He was very clever and well-liked by everyone. Everyone is crying since he isn't present today.

Alam, his father, claimed that attempts to submit a FIR, or First Information Report, which is necessary to launch an official inquiry, have so far been thwarted by the police.

The authorities are not cooperating, he claimed, despite our efforts to file a lawsuit. "We reported a problem to the police, but they didn't record it."

In order to wait for the results of the investigation, Homkar chose not to respond to this assertion or any of Alam's other accusations.
According to Alam, the loss of his kid has robbed his family of their future.

"I am a meagre labourer, and my now-deceased son and I used to sell produce. He was my family's lone son and the future, he claimed in his police report.

Mudassir's mother questioned the need for any gunfire on a crowded roadway where kids like her son were present

"Who has the authority to do that? Does anyone else, even the police, have the right to shoot in this way?"