By afternoon, the situation turned volatile. The export factory closed early for the day and workers were sent home by 4 pm. But just about two km from his home, at a foot over-bridge in Yamuna Vihar's C-Block, Danish was surrounded by a mob and the police.

Danish telephoned a friend. An audio recording of the phone call explains what happened.

"Arey yaar, Yamuna Vihar aja, bohot dar lag raha hain," Danish says in the recording. "Come to Yamuna Vihar, I am very scared." His friend responds that it's a lane inhabited by Hindus and he should get out right away.

"Mujhe bohot dar lag raha hain," Danish repeats. "I am very scared." The friend says, "Kisi sey kuch mut kahiyo, aese side sey aaja." "Don’t say anything to anyone, just take a route from the side."

"Tu aaja kisi gi gadi leke," Danish replies. "Just get someone’s vehicle and come fetch me."

But there was no one around to help. Danish's father then received a phone call from his son, saying he had been picked up by the police and was being taken to the Dayalpur police station.

With the situation worsening on the streets, the family could do nothing but wait at home, praying that Danish was okay.

"The roads were all closed due to the riots so for four days, I didn’t know where my child was," Hameeda said. "Finally, on Friday [February 28], we went to the Dayalpur police station to look for him.”

At the police station, Hameeda said she asked to meet her son. "While they said Danish was there, the police personnel said no one is allowed to meet the detainees and asked us to leave,” she said.

She also claimed that the police threatened to shoot her “as well” if she didn’t leave immediately.

The family was later called to Karkardooma court, where a lawyer told them Danish has been shifted to Sewa Kutir. On Sunday, nearly six days after he'd been picked up, Hameeda finally met Danish. She could not recognise his face.

“They had beaten him so badly; his face was swollen," she said. "He also showed me his legs which were swollen. He pointed out to the marks on his neck, where the police had hit him with belts and sticks.”

Danish told his mother that after the phone call with his friend, he was stopped by the police, who asked him his name. His parents believe that due to his Muslim name, Danish was detained.