Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui captured the people behind the story

Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui captured the people behind the story

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Danish Siddiqui, the Reuters journalist killed in crossfire on Friday covering the war in Afghanistan, was a largely self-taught photographer who scaled the heights of his profession while documenting wars, riots and human suffering.

A native of New Delhi, Siddiqui, 38, is survived by his wife Rike and two young children.

. New York, United States. Reuters/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui poses for a picture at Columbia University's Low Memorial Library during the Pulitzer Prize giving ceremony, in New York, U.S.

He was part of a team that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography in 2018 for documenting Myanmar's Rohingya refugee crisis, a series described by the judging committee as "shocking photographs that exposed the world to the violence Rohingya refugees faced in fleeing Myanmar."

Friends and colleagues described a man who cared deeply about the stories he covered, carrying out meticulous research before embarking on assignments and always focusing on the people caught up in the news.

. New Delhi, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui
A health worker reacts before the burial of a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer who was died of complications related to COVID-19 at a graveyard in New Delhi, India.

"Even in breaking news cycles he would think about humanizing a story, and you see that so often in his pictures, including those that won the Pulitzer and stories we have done in the last few years," said Devjyot Ghoshal, a Reuters correspondent based in New Delhi and a neighbor of Siddiqui.

"Covering the Delhi riots together and the COVID-19 pandemic more recently – his most compelling images were about people, isolating the human element."

A Reuters photographer since 2010, Siddiqui's work has spanned wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Rohingya crisis, pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and unrest in India.

. New Delhi, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui
People wait to cremate victims who died of complications related to COVID-19, at a crematorium ground in New Delhi, India.

In recent months, his searing photographs capturing the coronavirus pandemic in India have spread across the world.

"Ninety percent of the photography I have learnt has come from experimentation in the field," Siddiqui once wrote.

. Mumbai, India. Vivek Prakash
Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui takes pictures as fireworks explode during a procession to mark Eid-e-Milad-ul-Nabi, birthday celebrations for the Prophet Mohammad, in Mumbai, India.

"What I enjoy most is capturing the human face of a breaking story. I shoot for the common man who wants to see and feel a story from a place where he can't be present himself."

Ahmad Danish Siddiqui was born on May 19, 1983. He became a journalist after a Master's degree in Mass Communications from Delhi's Jamia Milia Islamia University.

Siddiqui joined Reuters after stints as a correspondent with the Hindustan Times newspaper and the TV Today channel.

. New Delhi, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui
A group of men chanting pro-Hindu slogans, beat Mohammad Zubair, 37, who is Muslim, during protests sparked by a new citizenship law in New Delhi, India.

Last year, while covering sectarian unrest in a Delhi suburb, Siddiqui and Ghoshal saw a Muslim man being beaten by a frenzied Hindu mob.

The images were widely featured in international media, highlighting the danger of wider conflagration between India's Hindu majority and sizeable Muslim minority. Siddiqui, a Muslim, had a narrow escape when the mob turned their attention on him.

Those photographs were part of a selection of Reuters pictures of the year in 2020.

. Kandahar, Afghanistan. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui
A member of the Afghan Special Forces keeps a watch as others search a house during a combat mission against Taliban, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan.

Siddiqui provided video and text from his assignments as well as photographs.

On his final assignment, he was embedded with Afghan special forces in the city of Kandahar.

. Kandahar, Afghanistan. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui
Humvees that belong to Afghan Special Forces are seen destroyed during heavy clashes with Taliban during the rescue mission of a police officer besieged at a check post, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan.

Earlier this week he was traveling with a convoy of commandos when it came under heavy fire from Taliban militants on the outskirts of Kandahar. He captured the drama in pictures, film and words.

(Writing Raju Gopalakrishnan and Mike Collett-White; Text Editing by Mike Colett-White; Layout Julia Dalrymple)

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Slideshow

A Hindu devotee wraps his cloth after a ritual dip in the polluted Yamuna river in New Delhi, India.
. New Delhi, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A Hindu devotee wraps his cloth after a ritual dip in the polluted Yamuna river in New Delhi, India.

Fishermen sit on a boat in front of damaged cargo ship MSC Chitra in the Arabian Sea off the Mumbai coast.
. Mumbai, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Fishermen sit on a boat in front of damaged cargo ship MSC Chitra in the Arabian Sea off the Mumbai coast.

A slum dweller sleeps beside a window draped with clothes hung to dry, in a shanty in Dharavi, Mumbai, India.
. Mumbai, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A slum dweller sleeps beside a window draped with clothes hung to dry, in a shanty in Dharavi, Mumbai, India.

A Muslim man walks hand in hand with children at a beach as monsoon clouds gather in Mumbai, India.
. Mumbai, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A Muslim man walks hand in hand with children at a beach as monsoon clouds gather in Mumbai, India.

A wrestler rubs his hands with mud to prevent slipping due to sweat, during a traditional mud wrestling (Kushti) bout at the Akhaara centre in Kolhapur, about 400 kms (250 miles) south of Mumbai, India.
. Kolhapur, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A wrestler rubs his hands with mud to prevent slipping due to sweat, during a traditional mud wrestling (Kushti) bout at the Akhaara centre in Kolhapur, about 400 kms (250 miles) south of Mumbai, India.

Three-year-old homeless boy Sarwar sleeps in a hammock along a sidewalk in Mumbai, India.
. Mumbai, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Three-year-old homeless boy Sarwar sleeps in a hammock along a sidewalk in Mumbai, India.

An Afghan boy works at a construction site as a U.S. Army soldier of 3/1 AD Task Force Bulldog takes position during a joint patrol with Afghan National Army (ANA) in a village in Kherwar district in Logar province, eastern Afghanistan.
. Logar, Afghanistan. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

An Afghan boy works at a construction site as a U.S. Army soldier of 3/1 AD Task Force Bulldog takes position during a joint patrol with Afghan National Army (ANA) in a village in Kherwar district in Logar province, eastern Afghanistan.

A Hindu devotee stands in the waters of river Ganges to offer prayers to Sun god at dawn in Varanasi, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
. Varanasi, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A Hindu devotee stands in the waters of river Ganges to offer prayers to Sun god at dawn in Varanasi, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Workers from various trade unions shout slogans as they try to block a road during a strike in Mumbai, India.
. Mumbai, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Workers from various trade unions shout slogans as they try to block a road during a strike in Mumbai, India.

A man is pulled across to safety on a rope, as damaged buildings and the Alaknanda river are seen in the background, during a rescue operation in Govindghat in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, India.
. Govindghat, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A man is pulled across to safety on a rope, as damaged buildings and the Alaknanda river are seen in the background, during a rescue operation in Govindghat in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, India.

A man rides a bicycle as he carries his dog on his shoulders in Mumbai, India.
. Mumbai, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A man rides a bicycle as he carries his dog on his shoulders in Mumbai, India.

A man sleeps under a water pipeline as another stands on it in Mumbai, India.
. Mumbai, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A man sleeps under a water pipeline as another stands on it in Mumbai, India.

A participant flies a tiger shaped kite during the International Kite Festival in Mumbai, India.
. Mumbai, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A participant flies a tiger shaped kite during the International Kite Festival in Mumbai, India.

Wrestlers practise as others rest in the mud at a traditional Indian wrestling centre called Akhaara in Mumbai, India.
. Mumbai, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Wrestlers practise as others rest in the mud at a traditional Indian wrestling centre called Akhaara in Mumbai, India.

Relatives of patrons listen to priests as they chant during evening prayers at the Mukti Bhavan (Salvation House) in Varanasi, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
. Varanasi, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Relatives of patrons listen to priests as they chant during evening prayers at the Mukti Bhavan (Salvation House) in Varanasi, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

A labourer sleeps on sacks of sand as another works at a market in Mumbai, India.
. Mumbai, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A labourer sleeps on sacks of sand as another works at a market in Mumbai, India.

A Hindu devotee lies along the shores of the Arabian Sea as she offers prayers to the Sun god during the "Chhat" festival in Mumbai, India.
. Mumbai, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A Hindu devotee lies along the shores of the Arabian Sea as she offers prayers to the Sun god during the "Chhat" festival in Mumbai, India.

Hindu devotees pray while standing in the waters of the Arabian Sea as they worship the Sun god Surya during the Hindu religious festival "Chatt Puja" in Mumbai, India.
. Mumbai, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Hindu devotees pray while standing in the waters of the Arabian Sea as they worship the Sun god Surya during the Hindu religious festival "Chatt Puja" in Mumbai, India.

Fifty-five-year-old Subna Bi poses for a picture outside her house next to the abandoned former Union Carbide Corp pesticide plant in Bhopal, India.
. Bhopal, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Fifty-five-year-old Subna Bi poses for a picture outside her house next to the abandoned former Union Carbide Corp pesticide plant in Bhopal, India.

A worker uses metal cutter as others carry to dismantled parts of decommissioned Indian Navy Ship INS Vikrant at a ship breaking yard in Mumbai, India.
. Mumbai, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A worker uses metal cutter as others carry to dismantled parts of decommissioned Indian Navy Ship INS Vikrant at a ship breaking yard in Mumbai, India.

Ropes weighted down with water bottles are used to apply traction to the legs of an injured girl after she fractured them during Saturday's earthquake, at a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal.
. Kathmandu, Nepal. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Ropes weighted down with water bottles are used to apply traction to the legs of an injured girl after she fractured them during Saturday's earthquake, at a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal.

A Hindu devotee leaves after taking a dip in the waters of the river Godavari during Kumbh Mela or the Pitcher Festival in Nashik, India.
. Nashik, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A Hindu devotee leaves after taking a dip in the waters of the river Godavari during Kumbh Mela or the Pitcher Festival in Nashik, India.

A Naga sadhu, or a Hindu holy man, applies ash at his camp before a procession during Kumbh Mela or the Pitcher Festival in Trimbakeshwar, India.
. Trimbakeshwar, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A Naga sadhu, or a Hindu holy man, applies ash at his camp before a procession during Kumbh Mela or the Pitcher Festival in Trimbakeshwar, India.

A man feeds seagulls on a beach along the Arabian Sea in Mumbai, India.
. Mumbai, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A man feeds seagulls on a beach along the Arabian Sea in Mumbai, India.

Hindu devotees worship the Sun god in the waters of the Arabian Sea during Chhath Puja in Mumbai, India.
. Mumbai, INDIA. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui/File Photo

Hindu devotees worship the Sun god in the waters of the Arabian Sea during Chhath Puja in Mumbai, India.

Eleven-month-old Sakeena sleeps in a hammock on the promenade next to a lake in Mumbai, India.
. Mumbai, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Eleven-month-old Sakeena sleeps in a hammock on the promenade next to a lake in Mumbai, India.

Hindu priests sit inside a cave as they perform evening prayers on the banks of the river Ganges in Devprayag, India.
. Devprayag, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Hindu priests sit inside a cave as they perform evening prayers on the banks of the river Ganges in Devprayag, India.

Rohingya refugees climb up a hill after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.
. Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Rohingya refugees climb up a hill after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

A Rohingya refugee man pulls a child as they walk to the shore after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border by boat through the Bay of Bengal in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh.
. Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A Rohingya refugee man pulls a child as they walk to the shore after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border by boat through the Bay of Bengal in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh.

A Rohingya refugee boy sits inside his temporary shelter near Balukhali in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.
. Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A Rohingya refugee boy sits inside his temporary shelter near Balukhali in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

Beachgoers stroll as a boy practices somersaulting on a beach in Mumbai, India.
. Mumbai, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Beachgoers stroll as a boy practices somersaulting on a beach in Mumbai, India.

Fireworks explode over participants carrying torches during a torchlight procession during the celebration marking the 70th anniversary of North Korea's foundation in Pyongyang, North Korea.
. Pyongyang, North Korea. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Fireworks explode over participants carrying torches during a torchlight procession during the celebration marking the 70th anniversary of North Korea's foundation in Pyongyang, North Korea.

A soldier eats ice cream as she visits a zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea.
. Pyongyang, North Korea. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A soldier eats ice cream as she visits a zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea.

A Naga Sadhu or Hindu holy man waits for devotees inside his camp during "Kumbh Mela" or the Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, previously known as Allahabad, India.
. Prayagraj, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A Naga Sadhu or Hindu holy man waits for devotees inside his camp during "Kumbh Mela" or the Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, previously known as Allahabad, India.

A Kashmiri woman feeds pigeons at a street during restrictions after the scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the government, in Srinagar, India.
. Srinagar, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A Kashmiri woman feeds pigeons at a street during restrictions after the scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the government, in Srinagar, India.

A school bag is seen on the bed of Wishmi, 14, a student, in Negombo, Sri Lanka.
. Negombo, Sri Lanka. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A school bag is seen on the bed of Wishmi, 14, a student, in Negombo, Sri Lanka.

A Kashmiri woman watches protests in Anchar neighbourhood after Friday prayers, during restrictions following scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the Indian government, in Srinagar, India.
. Srinagar, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A Kashmiri woman watches protests in Anchar neighbourhood after Friday prayers, during restrictions following scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the Indian government, in Srinagar, India.

A protester wearing a Guy Fawkes mask waves a flag during a Human Rights Day march, organised by the Civil Human Right Front, in Hong Kong, China.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A protester wearing a Guy Fawkes mask waves a flag during a Human Rights Day march, organised by the Civil Human Right Front, in Hong Kong, China.

A woman leans against a stretcher holding her husband in the corridor of the emergency ward of Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Bhagalpur, in the eastern state of Bihar, India.
. Bhagalpur, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A woman leans against a stretcher holding her husband in the corridor of the emergency ward of Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Bhagalpur, in the eastern state of Bihar, India.

A Naga Sadhu, or Hindu holy man wears a mask before the procession for taking a dip in the Ganges river during Shahi Snan at "Kumbh Mela", or the Pitcher Festival, amidst the spread of COVID-19, in Haridwar, India.
. Haridwar, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A Naga Sadhu, or Hindu holy man wears a mask before the procession for taking a dip in the Ganges river during Shahi Snan at "Kumbh Mela", or the Pitcher Festival, amidst the spread of COVID-19, in Haridwar, India.

People wait to cremate victims who died due to complications related to COVID-19, at a crematorium ground in New Delhi, India.
. New Delhi, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

People wait to cremate victims who died due to complications related to COVID-19, at a crematorium ground in New Delhi, India.

The grounds are prepared for mass cremation of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) victims in New Delhi, India.
. New Delhi, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

The grounds are prepared for mass cremation of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) victims in New Delhi, India.

A member of the Afghan Special Forces drives a humvee during a combat mission against Taliban, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan.
. Kandahar, Afghanistan. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A member of the Afghan Special Forces drives a humvee during a combat mission against Taliban, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan.

Ahmad Shah, 28, an Afghan policeman, sits in an police armoured vehicle after being rescued by Afghan Special Forces, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan.
. Kandahar, Afghanistan. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Ahmad Shah, 28, an Afghan policeman, sits in an police armoured vehicle after being rescued by Afghan Special Forces, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan.