NOT SURE IF HIS SON WAS KILLED IN LANDMINE BLAST, AHMAD DEMANDS INQUIRY TO TRACE HIM

Mir Ehsan

A few months after Ghulam Ahmad Rather's son Nissar, a college-goer, went missing in 1991, he was told that Nissar got killed in a landmine blast. But when Ahmad went to identify the mutilated body, he failed to recognise it.

Ahmad says he is not sure that the body was of Nissar and demands an inquiry to know whereabouts of his missing son.

"An inquiry should be set up to look into this case as we are facing a mental torture. I want to know exactly what happened to my son 16 years ago," says Ghulam Ahmad.

After 16 years of wait, frail and aging Ghulam Ahmad, a resident of north Kashmir's picturesque village Malpora, is in search of "truth". "I want to know the truth about my college-going son who went missing when turmoil was at its peak."

Recalling the day when his son went missing, Ahmad said, "My son was good at studies and would take his class regularly at the college." He does'nt know who exactly picked up his son and neither wants to blame anybody. "The only fact is that my teenaged son had left for his college and never returned."

For first few days we though that Nissar might have stayed with his friends in Baramulla or in any neighbouring village. But when he failed to reach home for the next two days we enquired from all his friends, but nobody could provide us any clue, Ahmad added.

Since then, Rather and his relatives started an unending search of his son. "We searched him everywhere, at nearby army camps. We also contacted the deputy commissioner Baramulla and senior police officials, but failed to trace him."

When the message of his death in a landmine blast came in, the news brought a pall of gloom to the entire Malpora village where everybody knew Nissar as an energetic student.

"We went to see the body but the face was badly mutilated and could not be identified it. Some clothes matched with our missing son," says Ahmad. "I did not have the courage to go to that place. My elder son went there. Only Almighty knows the truth,” said Rather.

After years of search, this frail man is eager to know what exactly had happened with his young son 16 years back when he left his house to attend the college.

MISSING MAN’S FAMILY KNOCKS AT DOORS OF MILITANT GROUPS

Majid Jahangir

Fayaz Ahmed Trag went missing fourteen years ago. His family at Tral in south Kashmir's Pulwama district has given up hope of his return, they now have one single wish: to know where his grave is.

But this story is different. Trag's family has no expectation from police or the Army or the security forces. They have been knocking at doors of militant groups and separatist leaders in the Valley.

The difference is Trag was not a civilian. He was a militant. He had crossed the Line of Control (LoC) in 1991 to get arms training. He returned to the Valley in early 1993. "Trag was a militant, but once he returned he was not actively involved in any act of violence," a relative of Trag said.

Twenty-five year old Fayaz Ahmed Trag, a resident at Tral in south Kashmir's Pulwama district went missing in 1993. The family says he was picked up by a rival group from a village in Tral and since then there is no news of him. "Soon after he was picked up we met many militant leaders in south Kashmir and they assured us that he will be released," the relative said.

Even this family faced a similar disappointed. The promises were never kept.

"We even met separatists leaders in Srinagar, but they too didn't do any thing," he went on to say.

Trag was married when he crossed the LoC. He had one daughter and a son.

"After he went missing his family was looked after by his father and elder brother," Khursheed, a neighbour who has been following his case said.

Trag's kids are now studying in college and the two like other family members have given up the hope of their father's return. "We don't believe that Trag is alive. But every one among us including his two kids want to know if Trag is dead where is he buried? " asks his relative Fayaz.

The family has not filed any case in the local police station about his disappearance.

‘WE WILL FIGHT TILL THE KILLERS ARE PUNISHED’

Basharaat Masood

Farooq Ahmad Rather crossed the Line of Control (LoC) to enter Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) for arms training. He was killed on the border while trying to enter the Indian side again, says a report which the police had submitted to Jammu and Kashmir Human Rights Commission.

But here's the catch. Farooq's family members say: "He had polio. He could not walk. How could he have crossed the LoC?

On November 3, 1990, Farooq, then 20 years old, went missing in south Kashmir. He left his home at Chandpora in Bijbehara for the Government Degree College at Anantnag, where he was pursuing a BSc degree.

Farooq didn't return home that day. Seventeen years have passed, but he is yet to return.

His family says he was picked up by an unidentified security agency on his way to college. The family approached local police to lodge a missing report. "Officials at the police station refused to register an FIR," says Farooq's brother Shabir Ahmad Rather.

So the family started a search on their own. "For 12 years we continued our search," says Shabir. "We visited security camps, police stations, interrogation centres and jails. But we couldn't find Farooq".

Next, the distraught family sought the help of the Jammu and Kashmir Human Rights Commission to trace Farooq. "The Commission directed the then Inspector General of Police, Deputy Commissioner and SSP, Anantnag to furnish a report," says Shabir. "The police report said Farooq crossed LoC for arms training and was killed as he was trying to intrude into this side. They (police) said the family hasn't filed a missing report".

"Farooq was handicapped since birth. He had polio," says his brother. "How could he have crossed the LoC?"

"The Commission also observed flaws in the police report. It asked police if Farooq was killed on the LoC, why was the family not informed then and why was the body not handed over to the family," says Shabir. "If the police claim is true why haven't they lodged an FIR in this regard? Why didn't they mention it in the report?"

Shabir says Farooq was seriously pursuing his career and his sole aim in life was excelling in studies.
The recent fake encounter expose has led the family to believe that Farooq too has been killed. "It's clear my brother has been killed," Shabir says. "But our fight for justice will not end. We will fight till the killers are punished".

IRSHAD WAS 15 WHEN HE DISAPPEARED, COLLECTING FIREWOOD

Mir Ehsan

Nine years after Irshad Ahmad Parray disappeared, his family filed a missing report with Sheeri police. Eight more years later, there is still no sign of Irshad.



He was last seen going into a forest near his village to collect firewood. Irshad was then 15 years old. On November 11, 1999, the family lodged an FIR. "We have failed to trace him," says Irshad's father Habib Parray.

"The mysterious disappearance left our entire family shocked," says Habib who has not lost hope. "Why only me, my entire family has the firm belief that he (Irshad) will return," says Habib.

Living in north Kashmir 's remote Kitchama village, Habib and his wife Saja Begum have not forgotten the day Irshad went missing. "It was a hot summer day of 1990 when my son went to collect wood from a nearby forest. He was barely 15," says Habib, who works in the fields of other villagers.

The family suspects both militants and security forces for the disappearance because the area where Irshad went missing had a huge presence of army and militants. "The forest where my son disappeared was dense. Even after 17 years of the incident, we can't say who was responsible for his disappearance."

Habib says his son was innocent. "At 15, my son could have annoyed neither the army nor militants."

The family and villagers searched for his him in the jungles but failed to trace him. After the search, the family contacted police and all nearby army camps. "Initially, I thought my son may have been arrested by troops. But, officials told us the day my son disappeared no patrol was in the area or in the forests."

Saja Begum desires to see her son before she dies. "Before I die, my only wish is to see my son." "Sometimes I feel he will never return. But I keep hopes alive," she adds. When he disappeared, he was a boy. "Now he would be a man," she says.

‘I COULDN'T DARE CONFRONT THE POLICE’

Basharaat Masood

Ghulam Hassan Koka still remembers October 27, 2001. It had grown dark when there was a knock on the door of his house in Verinag, a remote village in south Kashmir.

"I opened the door to some ITBP personnel. They told me they were searching for the numbardar. My father was the nambardar of the village but he had passed away. When I told them this, they picked up my son Ashraf and left saying he was being taken for questioning and would be released soon," says Koka.

He says he can even identify the Indo Tibetan Border Police personnel. "They belonged to ITBP camp of Verinag," he says.

The family waited. After all, they said, the soldiers had promised to release Ashraf immediately. The wait hasn't ended.

A few days after Ashraf was picked up Koka says he went to the ITBP camp to enquire about his son. "At the camp, they denied that Ashraf had been arrested. It was the biggest shock of my life," says Koka.

They now had to start searching. Koka says his first destination was the local police station. "They registered an FIR but they did not mention the fact that ITBP personnel had picked Ashraf up. Instead, they wrote that he had been picked up by unknown people, says Koka.

He says he couldn't dare to confront the police. "The situation in the area was very volatile. Nobody there listened to our pleas".

"I approached senior police officers, politicians and government officials. I wanted to know where my son was. But nobody offered any help," says Koka.

Mohammad Ashraf Koka was appointed Junior Assistant in Bijbehara's Sub Judge Court five years before he disappeared.

'NO ONE CAN UNDERSTAND MY PAIN'

Basharaat Masood

Saja Begum has turned 82, but what keeps her life driving is a hope -- a hope that her two sons, who went missing 14 years ago, would return one day.

Masked men picked up begum's two sons Ghulam Mohidin Lone and Abdul Rashid Lone.

The story of Mohidin's disappearance dates back to 1993. On May 13, Mohidin, a resident of Hewan Baramulla left home for the shop as usual. As it was becoming late in the evening, Begum and her other son Rashid became restless. Mohidin didn't return home. Shopkeepers at Sheeri Baramulla, where Mohidin had a shop, informed the family that he was picked up by some masked men.

Begum, her son Rashid and daughter-in-law Haleema went out looking for Mohidin. "We searched for him everywhere," says Begum. "We searched in security camps, in jails, in police stations and in interrogation centres. But we didn't get any information about him." Mohidin had four children and ran the family's watch repairing shop.

When the search failed to yield any result, the family went to the police to register an FIR. But they refused. The village erupted in anger and police finally filed a missing report.

The family was still searching for the missing son when another tragedy befell them.

Hardly a year had passed after Mohidin's disappearance when another group of masked men barged into the house and took away Rashid. "It was around midnight when we heard a knock on our door," Begum recalls. "Ten masked men stood outside my house. They forced in and dragged out Rashid. When I resisted they opened fire. I was hit in the stomach." Rashid was yet to celebrate his first anniversary of his marriage.

Begum survived the bullet injury and after sometime the pain of her injury faded away but the aged mother's agony was far from over. Now, she has another job in hand--to search for her second son. "No one can understand my pain" she cries. "I have lost two sons."

The octogenarian Begum is failing her health but she has a hope - that her two sons innocent sons will return one day. "Even death can't bring peace to me," she says.

'I AM AN OPTIMIST, HE WILL RETURN'

Mohammad Numan

For 13 years Habibullah Bhat nursed only one dream. He wanted to see his son. Bhat died without that happening. Bhat's wife Khadija Begum had died with the same unrealised dream 15 years ago, two years after her son Mohammad Maqbool went missing.

He was arrested by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) from Machwa on the outskirts of Srinagar city, says the family. On July 21, 1990 when insurgency had begun in Kashmir, Maqbool, a resident of Gangbugh in Batamaloo left home along with friend Nisar Ahmad. "They were arrested by CRPF and taken to Hari Niwas (an interrogation centre)," says Maqbool's brother Mohammad Sultan. "Nisar was released after some days but there was no news of Maqbool".

It marked the beginning of a search that is yet to yield any result.

"When we failed to locate him (Maqbool), we lodged a complaint with Sadar police," Sultan says. "That didn't help in tracing him". The family turned to the judiciary. "We filed a (writ) petition before (J-K) High Court," Sultan says. "The court appointed an inquiry officer. The officer concluded that Maqbool was arrested by CRPF and asked it to pay Rs 50,000 to the family".

In fact, the police and CRPF had denied having any knowledge of Maqbool's arrest and filed sworn affidavits in the court too.

After the inquiry, Justice Rizvi directed police to take action against the CRPF personnel. "Police didn't act," Sultan says. "In the meantime, Justice Rizvi was transferred and Justice Gandhi took over. He rejected the previous inquiry report and appointed a new inquiry officer. Seventeen years have passed but I am still fighting for justice," says Sultan.

Sultan recalls Maqbool as simple but ambitious. He wanted to study despite adverse family conditions. After passing class 12, circumstances forced him to shoulder the family responsibility and he decided to run a business. "He hired a shop at Batamaloo market," Sultan says. "He was hard working and wanted to excel".

Sultan says: "I had a lot of expectations from him. I was sure his name would one day figure on the list of top businessmen of the city". Maqbool's name is certainly on a list, but that's of missing persons, his brother adds.

Sultan believes his brother will return. "I am an optimist," he says. "He will return. I had promised my father that Maqbool will return. I have to fulfill it. He died before seeing Maqbool. But the day he returns, my father's soul will rest in peace".