Our faith in secularism is vindicated: Ishrat’s family

The death of their teenaged daughter in an encounter by the Gujarat police in 2004 has failed to shake the faith of Ishrat Jahan’s family “in secularism and humanitarian approach”.

The family, which said it was vindicated by a magisterial court’s probe that said Ishrat and three others were killed by cops, thanked the advocates and politicians who had supported them. “Those who stood by us solidly during our five-year-ordeal included Jitendra Awhad (Thane city NCP chief) and advocates Vrinda Grover, Shilpa Shah and Mukul Sinha,” Ishrat’s mother, Shamim Kausar, told a crowded press conference on Tuesday. “Awhad has been our pillar of strength and the lawyers have fought the legal battle free of cost,” she said.

Local social worker Rauf said, “There was no Mohammad or Khan who came to help Ishrat’s family. Our belief in secularism stands and so does our faith in the judicial system.”

But there have been incidents that still rankle the family. A senior NCP leader, for instance, had rushed to Ishrat’s Mumbra residence soon after the news of her death and handed over a cheque of Rs 1 lakh; but he demanded it back after police linked her with a Lashkar terrorist.

Kausar, who couldn’t hold back her tears, recalled the “humiliation and suffering faced by the family” since her daughter’s death and terror-link allegations. “We were virtually ostracised. People would not visit us and my children’s education and career suffered a serious setback,” said the mother of six.

But the Gujarat magistrate court’s order on Monday helped restore the family’s dignity and clear “the blot”, she said.

“We had vouched for our sister’s innocence since day one but no one believed us,” said Mushrat, Ishrat’s younger sister.

Mushrat initially read out from a handwritten note and appeared incoherent but gathered confidence as the media briefing went on. “Justice will be done to Ishrat only if the police officers involved in the fake encounter are sent to the gallows,” she said.

Source: The Times of India