Ishrat kin claim ‘threat’ to lives
The family members of Ishrat Jahan, who was allegedly killed in a fake encounter in Gujarat in 2004, have alleged a “threat” to their lives and demanded adequate security cover. The family who was accompanied by actor Mahesh Bhatt, Ishrat’s uncle Rauf Lala and human rights activist Shabnam Hashmi accused the Gujarat police and the Intelligence Bureau of intimidating them.
According to Ishrat’s sister Musarrat, a group of men, claiming to be policemen, knocked the family’s door around 2.30 am on Thursday and asked if they were safe. “They claimed to be policemen and kept asking who was present in the house? Why would policemen deployed for providing security to persons knock at their door at such an ungodly hour? There is a clear threat to our lives,” she said. Musarrat added that upon asking the Mumbra police if they had sent any men to their residence, they denied the same. Ishrat’s mother Shamima Kauser had recently written to union home secretary Anil Goswami citing a security threat.
Actor Mahesh Bhatt accused “powerful” people of resorting to intimidation when they are in trouble. “Deploying one or two policemen will not help. A secure firewall has to be built around people who are fighting against influential purpose. We need to support their fight for justice,” he added.
Citing another instance, Rauf Lala, Ishrat’s uncle talked about a car with Gujarat number plates parked outside their building. “Upon confrontation, the driver sped away. The number plates also turned out to be fake. Our vehicle was also fired upon in June this year when we were returning from Gujarat to Mumbra. However the police only registered an accident case,” he said.
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