Fate Of Kashmiri

The family members of two Kashmiri businessmen who were arrested by Delhi police for their alleged involvement in Lajpat Nagar blast in 1996 have accused the police authorities of falsely framing the duo. The duo, Iftikar Hussain and Nissar Ahmad are languishing in New Delhi’s Tihar jail for past 12 years and police have failed to prove any charge against them, said sister of the duo, Rohi Jan. “My brothers are innocent. They were framed by Delhi police because they are Kashmiris. The local police here also wrote to their Delhi police counterparts that Iftikar and Nissar were not involved in any anti-state activity but they were not released,” said Rohi. Iftikar and Nissar who had taken to shawl business after their father’s death in 1995 were arrested by Delhi police several days after the blast, said Rohi. “My elder brother (Iftikar) who was 22 at the time of arrest was picked up by police for questioning from old Delhi and Nissar who was a minor at the time of arrest was detained by police in Kathmandu where he had accompanied our business partner in connection with some business,” said Rohi. She said when they heard about the news of the arrest, the family members rushed to Delhi. “We were assured by the police and the authorities that my brothers would be released in few days and were detained only for some questioning. But later they were shifted to Tihar jail and charged with being involved in the blast,” Rohi said. During the early days the family hired few lawyers for pleading the case of the duo. “We would regularly travel to Delhi and visit the jail to meet our brothers. But after sometime our economic condition deteriorated as there was nobody to look after the business in Delhi. Our shop was sealed by the police in Delhi and we couldn’t afford the money to hire the lawyers and visit Delhi to meet our brothers. We have not seen our brothers for past five years,” said Rohi Jan. There was a time when the family would spend every winter in Delhi’s posh area, but today the family including an aged mother has not enough money to meet Iftikar and Nissar who are languishing in the Tihar. “My mother developed severe aliment after the arrest of Iftikar and Nissar. She is yearning to see them in her lifetime but we have not enough money to visit Delhi,” Rohi said. The needs of this once prosperous Mirza family are taken care off by Zaffar Hussain, third son of Mir Mirza Ali Muhammad. Zaffar is working as a teacher in a private school. He also takes tuitions after the school hours to fulfill the family needs, said Rohi.

@GK NEWS NETWORK