One son killed, elder in custody: mother narrates

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Srinagar, July 26: Her younger son was poisoned to death, her elder and the only surviving son is under police custody. The middle aged Shamima Akhter pleads her son should not be handed over to Jammu police. Belonging to a Hindu majority area of Jammu, Gandhi Nagar Nai Basti, the family is left with a 16-year-old daughter and her mother said that Jammu Police was terrorizing them and it why they finally took refuge in Kashmir valley.

Shamima said the fear of being killed by police in a fake encounter kept her 22-year-old student son Saleem Sheikh away from Jammu and Kashmir for almost two years and seven days ago when he landed in Kashmir; Police arrested him from Sanat Nagar here.

Two years back, Saleem left his home on a motorcycle with a Sikh friend and met a fellow at a few minutes distance from his home. 

“His Sikh friend had some hot argument with a person whom he injured with his Kripan. I’m not sure whether he died on the spot but investigations could not prove either of them guilty. My son’s Sikh friend was bailed out but police was in search of Saleem,” said Shamima.

“Bribed by a local, Bittu Kapadia, a police officer of Jammu City Police, Vishnesh forced Pradhan (a close friend of Saleem) to arrange a meeting with Saleem. As he arrived, policemen in civvies had cordoned the entire area. They shot bullets at him, and he was hit in his arm and neck. He still managed to escape,” Shamima said.

Shamima said that Vishnesh attempted to kill Saleem in a fake encounter and publicly announced and claimed that Saleem had links with militants and opened fire at police at Bus Stand Jammu.

She said her younger son died a few months after.  With tears in her eyes, Shamima said: “Tariq’s death was not a happenstance, but a planned murder.”

“Tariq’s death was a trap that was planned to trace Saleem’s location. When Tariq’s body was being buried, Vishnesh cordoned the graveyard and arrested two guys from there,” Shamima said. Shamima lost her husband 16 years back and since then she has been bringing up her three children. Saleem Sheikh was arrested by Sadder police station. However, the family revealed that they met Saleem Friday evening at Sadder Police Station.  “I met him and also the police officer of the station SHO. He assured me that he won’t handover Saleem to Jammu Police. Police had registered no FIR until then,” the mother said.