Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net
Jan 5, 2020, Srinagar: – ‘Mama mai kai gov buthes’ (Mom what happened to my face?) were the last words of Asrar Ahmad Khan, that his 49-years old mother still remember while he was battling his life at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), the Valley’s premier hospital.
Shaheena’s son, Asrar (18) was allegedly killed by government forces at Elahibagh locality of Srinagar on August 6, a day after Indian Government led by Narendera Modi scrapped special status of the erstwhile state.
According to her, Asrar was directly targeted by the forces with pellets when he was playing with his friend at a local playground, barely a stones-through away from his home. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition where he succumbed to injuries after 29 days on September 4.
Asrar was the 2nd causality after Article 370 was removed from the Indian Constitution.
Over five months have passed; the family is still struggling to get an FIR registered. The Jammu and Kashmir Police rejected the allegations that Asrar was targeted by security forces and in turn said that the boy was hit by stone.
Although the family hasn’t lost any hopes but due to some financial crises, they are unable to plead their case in the court of law.
“I have some financial issues that is why I didn’t approach the court yet. I am waiting for any Human rights body since last 5 months to help me to fight the case,” says Firdous Ahmad Khan, Asrar’s father
Firdous says the only way to register an FIR against the forces is the court and he intent to approach the court so that they can direct the police to register an FIR so that the culprits are booked.
“The local police station has registered an FIR but to hush-up the case, they have mentioned that my son died because of stone. But we have enough evidence that he died because of teargas shall and pellet injuries in the head.” Firdous says.
Many media organisations while reporting on the medical reports in this case contested the police’s version that Asrar was hit by stone. An X-ray and medical report of SKIMS, a copy of which lies with TwoCircles.net confirms that the boy was hit by pellets.
Asrar would love taking pictures; he had hundreds of his pictures in his phone that lies with her mother.
“When we took him to hospital, he was repeatedly saying how is my face? He had pellet injuries all over the face and was also hit by a teargas shell,” Shaheena says.
According to her, the local police approached the family with cash and job offer many times but “how can we sell the blood of our own son” says Shaheena as tears roll down her cheeks.
The family alleges that the police cooked up their own story to save the culprits.
Shaheena had three kids, Asrar was the eldest one. Her husband deals with wood business. Although Firdous still has some belief that a police investigation under the “supervision of court” can get them justice but Shaheena seems to be fed-up with the system and has lost all hope.
“You have thousands of cases pending since decades so how can we get justice? Shaheena questioned. She says when the police are not even ready to register an FIR how can they proceed in the case.
TwoCircles.net approached the concerned police station at Soura, Srinagar to ask why the police was reluctant in registering an FIR but the station officer said that he is a new comer and doesn’t know about any case regarding Asrar Khan.
“I joined few days ago and can’t answer any case that happened when I was not in charge” the officer said.
Asrar was a brilliant student; he scored 422 out of 500 in the 10th standard. His mother says he would love to read and write and was a passionate cricketer.
“He was studying at Kashmir Harvard School, despite our financial constrains, we enrolled him in the best school but never know that he too will become victim of this bloody conflict,” Shaheena says.
The family lives in a single room, where they cook, sleep and their children study. Firdous Ahmad leaves home early in the morning for work and whatever he earns he feed his family at evening.
“It’s very difficult to live in Kashmir; you have to struggle for everything. And anything can happen to you at any time,” Firdous says.
The couple never imagined that their son will be killed like this. Shaheena is in state of shock. The only thing she wants to see the murderers of her son to be behind bars and the only hopes left are that any human rights body might come any day and help them to fight their case.
It may be noted with abrogation of Article 370, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) was dissolved and the two private human rights bodies remaining have thousands of cases with most of them still pending in court.
Spokesperson of Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil society(JKCC), the valley’s top human right body while speaking to Twocircles.net said that most of the times the family approach them if they need any help regarding the case but they can also approach if they find any case that needs to be helped.