Indian troopskilled father from unborn child

Srinagar, July 4: In Baramulla Lali Jan of Khanpora is carrying in her womb a child who was orphaned before birth: the CRPF troopers murdered the father on June 30 during indiscriminate firing on peaceful protestors.

“I don’t know if I should really give birth to the child or kill myself; the troops snatched the father of the child even before it could see light of the world,” said Lali whose 24-year old husband, Fayaz Ahmad Gojri, a labourer, was killed by the troopers during a peaceful demonstration over the sexual harassment of a woman by police in the town.

“When the clashes were going on, the troopers went berserk and fired indiscriminately on protesters. Fayaz was hit in the chest. We watched helplessly while he bled to death. The CRPF didn’t allow us to take him to hospital, nor did they permit ambulance to enter the area,” said Nazir Ahmed, neighbor of the deceased.

“We pleaded with them for more than ten minutes. But they beat up everyone who came in their way including friends and relatives of Fayaz. They fired teargas shells at us. It is possible that he would have been saved had these brutal troopers allowed us to taken him to hospital,” he added. Lali is inconsolable and as women try to soothe her in a room of her modest cottage. The couple’s first child, a girl, had died soon after birth, but the news of his wife’s pregnancy had made Fayaz happy. “We were very happy and he would often talk about plans he had for the baby,” Lali said, “What was his crime?” The police have registered murder case against CRPF troopers in Varmul police station in connection with this murder.