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| | 16-years on, son wants to see father’s grave | | ‘We feared Avtar Singh, otherwise would have approached court’ | | SRINAGAR, July 17: For the last 16 years now, the wait for Mohammad Altaf Kanni has not come to an end. The desperate son, who has turned 27, wants to know about his father’s grave.
Altaf, a resident of Batmaloo Srinagar may have grown old but his priorities are not like his contemporaries. He wants to know why Major Avtar Singh picked up his father Ghulam Qadir Kanni, a businessman in 1996 and why he was not released, even after the family paid huge sums.
Now with the reports about Major Avatar Singh’s suicide in California, Altaf has mustered courage to come out in open and shun fear, which he says, was the reason why his family delayed approaching court in time.
“My father was not involved in any kind of subversive activities. He was a simple businessman. The last few minutes in which my father was picked up not to return have left many questions of lifetime for all of us,” says Altaf. The endless wait, he adds, has shattered the entire family. “I have not given up struggle to search whereabouts of my father but since the main culprit Major Singh has committed suicide, I think the government should question the other co-accused to find out the truth,” he suggests.
Asked why the family delayed moving court on the issue, Altaf informed that his family would receive threats of dire consequences which delayed the family to avail legal remedies.
The 27- year old Altaf, youngest in the family of five, was 11-years-old when he saw his father last. While recalling that fateful evening, Altaf says: “On February 18, 1996 evening, soldiers of Territorial Army and four renegades barge din our house. The army was looking for my father and the officer heading party was Major Avtar Singh. On opening the door, the army asked for my father. They wanted him outside and other family members were directed to remain inside the home. We were waiting for return of our father and when he didn’t we went outside but there was none. They had taken along my father.”
The search for whereabouts of his father did not yield any results. Altaf says: “Some 24-hours after my father disappeared we received a telephone call. The caller didn’t identify himself but he asked us to see our father in a hotel at Exchange Road. The caller warned us against informing the police or making hue and cry about the issue.”
“Next day, we visited the hotel where Parvaiz Ahmad Qureshi a renegade and his other men who had picked up my father, met us telling us that my father in Sanatnagar army camp and would be released against Rs two lakhs. After our requests they agreed on Rs 1.5 lakh and we were asked to come with money to a house in Rajbagh next day,” he adds.
When the family reached the given address next day, Qadir was not released as the men uniform said that he was not in a condition to walk and accompany his family.
The family was asked to get the money next day to the same Hotel at the Exchange road. Family followed the instructions but the renegades again refused to take the money. “They had some feud with the army and, therefore, couldn’t release my father, they told us,” says Altaf.
But the family again faced disappointment as “The renegades took mere Rs 20,000 and asked us to come again tomorrow.” The meetings and assurances about Qadir’s release continued and finally the family broke the silence and registered an FIR in April 1996.
Altaf says that his family met top police officers who helped in expediting the investigations. “We started investigating at our own level also and police also raided several places to look for abductors,” he adds.
According to Altaf, police arrested Parvaiz Ahmad Qureshi, Ashraf Ali Beigh and Muhammad Amin Sheikh in a raid on the house in Rajbagh. These three were among the four renegades who had accompanied the Territorial Army to Altaf’s home on the fateful night.
During interrogation, according to Altaf, they had accepted that his father had been abducted for money. “But they blamed major Avtar Singh and the third renegade Ashraf Khan alias Umar for going against the deal and denying my father’s release,” narrates Altaf.
Months later Ashraf Khan was also arrested and he told the same story about Altaf’s father, though refused having any information about his whereabouts. “But he said my father may not be alive,” Altaf adds.
“We were facing disappointment on all fronts but we were too scared to approach the court for justice. But we went to a brigadier who summoned eight army majors. They were paraded in front of us and Major Avtar Singh was one among them. He had trimmed his beard to change his appearance but we still identified him and the brigadier pulled him up for abducting my father,” Altaf recalls.
However, no action was taken against the major following which family approached the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC). A petition was filed in July 2001 and the decision came almost a year later in May 2002 wherein the SHRC accepted the involvement of four renegades and the major in the abduction.
The Commission, however, had declared Kanni “no more living” dead under evidence Act as his whereabouts were not known for more than 7-years.
“Since Major Avtar Singh is no more as far as media reports are concerned. We appeal the government to help us to locate and identify the grave of our father. We do not want any kind of compensation. What we want is to offer prayers on our father’s grave…!” Altaf pleaded. |
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| ‘Militant’ killed in Handwara encounter | | SRINAGAR, Jul 17: An unidentified ‘militant’ was killed in the wee hours today in an encounter with police and army at Batsunjhi in Handwara area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, police said.
The militant, according to the police, was hiding in the forest near Jaba in the village. On a tip off, the police and army started a search operation overnight, resulting in a gunfight that ended at 9 AM with death of the ‘militant’.
“On receiving the information, the police and 6 RR jointly launch | | > Govt dismisses KAS officer for graft | | > 16-years on, son wants to see father’s grave | | > Laila Khan case | | > Army worries over infiltrations, happy about cricketing ties | | > 2 more Amarnath pilgrims die, toll toll rises to 85 |
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