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Faizan’s Mother Speaks

By Danish Nabi

28 July, 2010
Kashmir Times

‘Not chased to death, he was beaten & drowned’

BARAMULLAH, July 27: “When I heard that someone has drowned in Jhelum, I went rushing to the spot because I knew my son had gone out. There I saw policemen and Special Operation Group (SOG) men firing teargas shells on someone drowning in Jhelum. But that moment I did not know it was my son, Faizan,” reveals wailing Fareeda, mother of Faizan who was “chased to death” by forces in Baramulla.

Thirteen year old Faizan, a student of seventh class, is among the 17 civilians who were killed since late last month by police or CRPF. He was killed on last Saturday when Kashmir witnessed normal life only for half day. According to the government, he was drowned in Jhelum when he was chased away by the police and CRPF during protests.
While entire Baramulla district came to life today, Fareeda struggled to believe that her son is no more. In her two storey house in an untidy lane near the main market, Fareeda is visited by relatives and neighbours. But she has more to tell the world about, what everyone believes, was death due to drowning of Faizan.

“My son left with his two friends for a casual walk in the afternoon. But on the Azad Gunj Bridge they were surrounded on both the sides by Police and SOG in civvies. A local SOG man hit Faizan on the head with gun butts. And when Faizan had started to get seizures, the SOG man lifted him from his ankles and threw him into Jhelum to pass it off as death due to drowning,” Fareeda said quoting the eyewitnesses.

Fareeda says when half dead Faizan was drowning, police and SOG men had fired bullets and tear gas shells at him that led to his death.

“When Faizan was drowning he waved his arms for help. But police and SOG kept firing bullets and tear gas shells at him and at everyone that tried to come to his help. I saw it with my eyes when I reached the spot,” she says.

She says Faizan was afraid of water “so much that he could not even tolerate a single mug of cold water on his head.”

“And he did not know swimming so how come he would jump into Jhelum,” she said.

The wailing mother still remembers how she took Faizan to school on that Saturday morning, sensing “that Faizan may get terrified with the heavy presence of police and CRPF men outside.”

“But the school was closed and we returned. Later in the afternoon I fell asleep and he went out with his friends. I did not know that I would open my eyes to see my son dead,” she said.

Fareeda stated that the authorities made every attempt to make it look like a case of death due to drowning.

“On the afternoon of the third day a diver came out of water and gave thumbs up to his officer who was over-looking the proceedings. But instead of bringing out the body he took in a short rope and later came out empty handed. When we asked him, he said he had not found the body and officials excused us for lunch,” she says, adding, “The diver tied the body with something in the floor so that it could not come up during the day.”

But the body, fortunately Fareeda says, surfaced in the evening. “And Faizan’s body was bleeding in the back of the head and there were marks of gun butt on his face.”
Doctors, according to Fareeda, had also confirmed that it was not a case of death due to drowning.

“They told us that the body was bleeding because he was hit before drowning,” she said.

Faizan’s aunt, Afroza, seconded Fareeda.

“I live near the Azad Gunj Bridge. The moment Faizan drowned, I heard everyone saying that a boy was beaten to death and thrown into Jhelum. That time I did not know that it was Faizan,” she said.

Faizan’s family of five members including his mother, a blacksmith father, a student brother and two sisters are now waiting for justice.

“We want the SOG man punished severely,” says Rizwana, sister of Faizan.