THE DEATHS of three British Asian men in Birmingham's inner city area rip the Asian community's heart, that is according to one local councillor.
Haroon Jahan, 21 and brothers Abdul Musavir, 31 and Shahzad Ali, 30, were rammed by a car in early hours of Tuesday morning (August 9) and killed after trying to protect their neighbourhood from rioters.
They were among some 80 men who turned out after a gang tried to ransack the nearby Jet petrol station on Monday (August 8) night.
Councillor Chaman Lal who represents the Soho Ward which covers the area where the three men were killed spoke to Eastern Eye.
He told www.easterneye.eu: “It has had a devastating effect. It has ripped the heart of the community and is one of the worst things that could have happened to these two families.
I've been living here for 17 years and this is the first time I've experienced this kind of tragedy.
I went to visit the family – there is a very strong feeling in the community and that's why we had a meeting with the police yesterday about what they would do."
Tariq Jahan, father of one of the dead men, called for an end to the violence: "Today we stand here to plead with all the youth to remain calm, for our communities to stand united. This is not a race issue.
The family has received messages of sympathy and support from all parts of society. I lost my son. Blacks, Asians, whites – we all live in the same community. Why do we have to kill one another? Why are we doing this?
Step forward if you want to lose your sons. Otherwise, calm down and go home – please."
Police have arrested a 32-year-old man who is being questioned on suspicion of murder following the deaths.
Lal was part of the emergency meeting at Dudley Road mosque which saw the community and religious leaders calling for calm.
Lal said that the community had a lot of questions to ask and the police took a lot time to answer the questions.
Police have arrested more than 1,100 people across the country since the riots erupted on Saturday (August 6) in Tottenham in London after the police shot dead a man two days earlier.
