Author: Khajuria S Kant in Jammu
Publication: Organiser
Date: October 25, 2009
URL: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=314&page=10
Introduction: If Rajnish was Rizwanur, secularists
would have taken up his case
Anchal accused her father Mohammed Yousuf
Mirazi and two brothers of hatching a conspiracy with the police to eliminate
her husband. "One of my brothers, a doctor, may flee to Australia. Arrest
him before he leaves the country. My father had bribed the Kashmir police
to kill my husband," she said.
A Jammu based Hindu youth was tortured to
death by Kashmir police in the custody at the Munshi Bagh police station,
the only fault of the deceased identified as Rajnish Sharma r/o Sarwal Jammu
was that he dared to love and marry a Kashmiri Muslim girl Amina Yousuf.
Rajnish Sharma, 29, a Jammu resident, was
picked up by the cops a few days ago after he married a Srinagar girl, Anchal
Sharma alias Amina Yousuf, 25, who had converted to the boy's faith and changed
her name. Things went horribly wrong when Rajnish reportedly died under mysterious
circumstances at the Munshi Bagh police station. The death of a youth in custody
of the Srinagar police on October 6 night triggered violent protests by his
family members and relatives.
To make matters worse, the police in an embarrassing
goof up announced it had identified the youth who was arrested as Pawan Sharma,
the deceased's younger brother, adding the police papers sent for the postmortem
examination were in his name. However, the deceased's real identity came to
light only when his family members saw his body.
Rajnish, whose business dealt in aluminum
doors and windows, had married Amina in a Jammu court on August 21 and the
same day the couple also tied the nuptial knot in a temple in Janipur here.
However, Pawan, who was missing since September
29, suddenly turned up at the morgue to take possession of his brother's body,
claimed the police deliberately used his (Pawan's) name to eliminate his younger
brother. "After marrying Anchal on August 21 Rajnish had come to my house
in Rehari on August 29. He told me about stiff opposition to his interfaith
marriage put up by Anchal's family. On September 29 the police searched my
house at around 1.30 am. Though I managed to give the cops a slip they arrested
my brother", said Pawan.
Anchal Sharma, alias Amina Yousuf, in her
in-laws' house, accused her parents of killing her husband and demanded that
a murder case be lodged against them.
Breaking down, she said she not only lost
her husband but also the baby inside her womb. "When the police raided
my brother-in-law Pawan's house in Rehari on September 29, I tried to escape
in panic. But in the process stumbled and lost my baby," she said.
"I changed my religion and married Rajnish
out of my own choice. There was no pressure on me," the 25-year-old girl
said.
"We were in love for the past five years
and, in fact, I forced Rajnish to marry me," said a wailing Anchal sitting
close to her husband's body.
"We married before a Jammu court and
solemnised our marriage at an Arya Samaj mandir on August 21. Since then we
had been on the run to save our lives," she added.
Anchal accused her father Mohammed Yousuf
Mirazi and two brothers of hatching a conspiracy with the police to eliminate
her husband.
"One of my brothers, a doctor, may flee
to Australia. Arrest him before he leaves the country. My father had bribed
the Kashmir police to kill my husband," she said. She also refused to
go back to her parental house in Srinagar and now wants to live with her in-laws.
Demanding justice a wailing Raj Kumari, Rajnish's
mother, said that her son was brutally murdered and could not have committed
suicide.
Bajrang Dal (BD) national convenor, Parkash
Sharma along with Nand Kishore Mishra, convenor state, and Sushil Sudhan,
president Bharatiya Jan Sewa Niyas also visited the residence of Rajnish Sharma
to express their sympathy with the bereaved family and assured all support
to them on behalf of the Bajrang Dal.
While strongly condemning the killing of Rajnish
in police custody at Srinagar he said his death was the result of a pre-planned
conspiracy and demanded that the case be registered against the police officers,
and parents of the girl. He expressed serious concern over the stoic silence
which has been maintained by the activists of civil liberties, human rights
activits and so-called secularists on the issue. Had the member of any other
community been killed in this way, a hue and cry would have been made by these
organisations all over, he added. He also criticised the State Government
for delaying the action against the culprits.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) told that there
is no example of such brutality in last 20 years of terrorism in J&K,
the way innocent Jammu youth Rajnish Sharma was killed in Police custody recently
in Srinagar.
He demanded that the police officers involved
in this heinous crime be brought to book immediately. He said the assurance
given by the authorities of taking action against the cops is only an eyewash
as nothing has been done practically in this regard.
He, while criticising the police said its
records still mention the youth who was killed as Pawan Sharma instead of
his brother Rajnish Sharma. This is a grave negligence and irresponsibility
on the part of Police Department.
Reiterating his demand of CBI inquiry in the
matter, Dr Dubey said that the probe ordered by State Government is not acceptable
to Jammuites. He warned in case of any delay in taking action against the
guilty officers, the people will be forced to launch agitation
In its report, the Board of Doctors, which
conducted second post-mortem on the body in Jammu, said, "The post-mortem
report has confirmed multiple marks of torture and injuries all over the body
of the youth. There were many other injuries on the body which are of multiple
dissection that indicates torture".
It said there were some severe marks of burns
on the body which the doctors couldn't conclude as to whether they were electric
shocks or cigarette butts. For a firm opinion to establish electric torture
marks or cigarette butts, the body cells of Rajnish Sharma have been sent
to Pathology Department for further tests.
It may be recalled that the people had held
massive protests in Sarwal against the killing of Rajnish Sharma in police
custody. It was only after the Government announced compensation and jobs
for the family that body of the youth was cremated after three days long protests.
It may be mentioned here that only two constables
of Ram Munshi Bagh police station have been suspended while the SHO has just
been attached to District Police Lines (DPL) in a cover up by Srinagar Police
to shield the accused.
