NEW DELHI: As the trailer of John Abraham-starrer film on the infamous Batla House encounter is out, people who witnessed the day of bloodshed are eagerly waiting to see the “truth” on the big screen. Eleven years after the encounter that raised many unanswered questions, Nikkhil Advani directorial action-drama is set to release on August 15.
On the fateful day, Special Cell of Delhi Police had arrived at the flat to arrest its occupants in connection with the September 13, 2008 serial blasts based on a tip-off.
Of the five, who were residing in the flat, Atif Ameen and Mohammed Sajid were killed during the encounter. Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma had succumbed to bullet injuries, while two head constables were injured.
65-year-old Iqbal Ahmed is a shopkeeper in the lane that houses L-18, the building where the encounter took place on September 19, 2008. “We will definitely watch the movie because everyone was convinced that the encounter was fake. No one believed it was genuine,” Ahmed told The Morning Standard.
Ahmed recalled seeing an injured Sharma being taken out of the building. “I saw two policemen carry him to a vehicle. Later, he succumbed at the hospital,” he added.
“We witnessed the encounter from outside the building. Everyone said, whatever happened was wrong. Now if a movie is being made on it, there should be clarity and truth shown to the people who do not know about the encounter,” said Shahid Ahmed, who owns a biryani shop here.
Father of three, Mohammed Haroon said, “My wife was scared that what if it happened in our building. We lived in fear for a year, but gradually everyone moved on. However, the incident can never be forgotten.”