Back home from hospital, Ghaziabad YouTuber Saleem Wastik attacked in office gets police cover

GHAZIABAD: Police have provided personal security to Saleem Wastik (55), a social activist known for posting videos questioning fundamentalist practices, after he returned home to Loni from hospital after a month. Wastik was stabbed more than 10 times in the abdomen and near the throat inside his Loni office on Feb 27 by two brothers, Zeeshan and Ghulfam, both of whom were subsequently killed in separate police encounters. Two armed gunners have been assigned for his protection.ACP (Loni) Siddharth Gautam said that Wastik’s family members raised a request for police protection following his discharge. After a review of the application, two gunners from the police line were provided to him for his safety, he said. A family member said that Wastik, who sustained a stab wound to the neck in the attack, is not able to speak for some time following his recent surgery. He is now in a stable condition, and his doctors said that it will take some time to recover.On Feb 27, the two brothers arrived at Wastik’s office on a motorcycle. They entered the building and attacked him, stabbing him multiple times in the abdomen and near the throat. Wastik was taken to a private hospital, referred to GTB Hospital in Delhi, and later admitted to Max Hospital for specialised treatment.On the night of March 1, cops traced Zeeshan to Loni where he was killed in a police encounter. Days later, on March 3, Ghulfam was also killed in an encounter in Vasundhara. On March 17 a magisterial inquiry was initiated into the two encounters and the probe is still ongoing.The Feb 27 attack had been captured on CCTV.. The nearly 4-minute clip shows Wastik reclining on a sofa, watching a video on his phone when two men – later identified as Ghulfam and his brother Zeeshan – enter wearing helmets. Wastik gestures for them to sit. Moments later, one of them pulls out a paper cutter, and both move in together, pinning Wastik down. One of the attackers shuts the door, and the pair then resume their assault, driving the weapon towards Wastik’s neck and upper body as he tries to shield himself.The fight spills into the glass table nearby which breaks in the scuffle. One attacker grabs a jagged portion of the glass top and begins striking Wastik with it. As Wastik struggles and yells out for help, a woman appears outside the office, sees the attack unfolding, and hesitates at the threshold. Moments later, the assailants switch back to the cutter and attack one last time before fleeing.A separate 23-second video shows two men fleeing on a motorbike after the assault. The bike carries a Delhi number plate, and blood is visible on their clothes. Police said the clip was recorded by a commuter and handed over to investigators.