JOIN USAll these years, the family was ostracised by the community; their children were denied admission to schools or colleges and marriage proposals were turned down, as nobody wanted to be associated with a “terrorist family.” All that changed a day after a magisterial inquiry ordered by the Gujarat government concluded that the encounter was “fake” and Ishrat and her three friends, killed by the police in a car, were not associated with any militant outfit.
Ishrat’s family held a news conference in neighbouring Thane on Tuesday, close to the Mumbra suburb, and demanded the harshest punishment for the cops involved in the murder.
Ishrat’s mother Shamima Kausar and her family had been fighting a sustained legal battle seeking the Ahmedabad court to reopen the probe, besides demanding inquiry by the CBI. She alleged that Ishrat was eliminated as part of a “cold-blooded conspiracy” by the police.
“I cannot explain the trauma we had to undergo. My other children wanted to pursue their studies but could not,” she said.
Ishrat’s sister Mushrat said: “We are happy now that the court itself has proved it was a fake encounter.”
Members of Ishrat’s family said they might explore legal options to seek action against the perpetrators, but did not elaborate.