The video clip of the deadly ‘friendly’ street bout between two youths in the Old City has shocked everyone, forcing all parents to think twice. Nabeel Mohammed, 17, died in one such fight at Panjeshah in Mirchowk on May 3 but the incident came to light only on Sunday. Police suspect that there might be a conflict between Nabeel and another boy regarding a girl they liked.
This street fighting isn’t new and has been a way of fun and a way to show superiority among youths in the old city. What is usually at bet? The ego boosting title of a ‘fighter’ and sometimes, chump change or even worse, biryani!
Habeeb Mustafa, a former national level boxer and state champion from Jahanuma, explains, “Fights, for fun or to just prove a point, do happen on the streets here. These boys are loafers who basically hail from middle-class families and are irresponsible, he said.
Anyone who has the guts and wanted to be a ‘fighter’ and “if these boys really want to fight, why don’t they come to the ring? Playing for the State or the country is a matter of pride,” he says. “Instead just playing at the streets and claiming lives, they just create problems for their parents, creating pain for the family as well as the society”, he added.
According to him, the ‘fighter’ – the one who stays undefeated – gets respected among his peers. “Mustafa clarifies that these street fighters cannot in anyway be compared to ring boxers or wrestlers. “Real boxers or wrestlers have stamina and discipline in life, unlike those who roam around all night on bikes and fight for ego,” points out Mustafa, who now works for the South Central Railway.
“Street fighting has been going on for a long time. Betting too happens there”, said a police officer, on condition of anonymity, admits that streets fights take place in areas where there is no police patrolling in the Old City. “