The phone call that shattered hopes: ‘They have been martyred’

Five-year old Faizan picks up a fistful of earth and empties it into the grave of his elder brother—14-year-old Faisal Yusuf. He then moves backwards, and almost disappearing among a crowd of people, stands silent. Faisal's another younger brother, Farhan, stands near the grave, watching the funeral in a motionless state.

Both Faizan and Farhan are too young to understand the tragedy that struck the family. Without uttering a word, the two brothers glance at faces around them. Soon, the burial is completed and the duo taken back home, just opposite martyrs graveyard where their brother is laid to rest.

Faisal was one among the two boys killed in firing by Army in Chattergam, on the city outskirts, on Monday afternoon. While children of his age are usually fond of hanging out with friends and playing games, the 7th standard student, Faisal, was shaping into a religious scholar. At the tender age, he had memorized 15 chapters of the Holy Quran.

"Yes, he would occasionally lead prayers in the local mosque and had memorized 15 chapters of the Holy Quran," the soft-spoken Farhan uttered. "He was more like my friend. We would share sweets and watch cricket together."

For few minutes, Farhaan, who studies in class 5th and is wearing a traditional Pheran, keeps mum again. Then he remembers: "I would call him by the name of Burhaan. He was passionate about driving. I miss him.”

On the ill-fated Monday, Faisal had driven his father's car to Chattergam to see a Muharram procession. Three other boys from the locality including his cousin Zahid Ayoub, Shakir and Meraj-ud-Din too joined him. While Meraj also succumbed to the bullet injuries, Zahid and Shakir are undergoing treatment at the Army hospital here.

Minutes before he left the house on Monday afternoon, only to be brought dead, he along with his father, Muhammad Yusuf Bhat—a businessman—were arranging furnishing and curtains of a room on the first floor of their house, said Faisal’s maternal uncle, Mushtaq Ahmad. The family was preparing for a function on coming Sunday. “Faisal baya was to return to the school (Dar-ul-Uloom) on Monday,” responded Faizaan when asked him about his association with his brother. "No, we have never fought. Instead we would play cricket together, but he would always bat first. He would bat for longer time and then my turn would come. He would also share lays (snacks) with me.”

MERAJ, THE GENTLEST BOY

Neighbors remember Meraj-ud-Din as a gentlest boy in the locality and his colleagues described him as a friend of few words. A laborer by profession, Meraj had just stepped in his youthful days.

On the ill-fated Monday, Meraj of Bonpur, Nowgam finished his work early. He straightaway returned home and after taking lunch, went out. Hours later, at around 5 pm, his brother, Latief Ahmad rushed back home to inform his father, Ghulam Muhammad—an employee in the PHE department—that four youth, all from Nowgam, travelling in a Maruti car, were fired upon by army at Chattergam Chowk.

“He (Meraj) would never go anywhere and would always remain busy with his work,” his father says in a broken voice. “And I was sure he will be around.”

But minutes later, the father compelled Latief to call Meraj on his mobile phone to confirm about his whereabouts. “There was no response,” said Ghulam Muhammad, least knowing that his son and another local boy Faisal had already fallen to the Army bullets.

Next moment, the search for the son took the father out on the main road where he saw groups of youth discussing killings in Chattergam. “Every person in this area will vouch for his innocence. I assured myself that he (Meraj) will be safe,” he said.

But a group of young boys who were discussing that newspapers have reported (online) that one of the killed youth was Meraj increased his restlessness. He was not ready to accept the bitter truth. “I again called on his (Meraj’s) mobile,” he said. “This time a man, speaking in Urdu, asked for my identity. I told him I am Meraj’s father. He told me Meraj has been hospitalized and then the line got disconnected.”

For next few minutes, the helpless father repeatedly called on his son’s mobile but there was no response. Next time, he said, the mobile had been put on switch-off mode.

Caught between hope and despair, the scary thoughts caught hold of the father. At that moment one of his relatives informed him that they were going to see Meraj. “He said Meraj and other boys are injured and have been rushed to army hospital for treatment,” said Ghulam Muhammad.

For next half-an-hour the father kept hoping that his son would be safe. But, minutes later, a phone call shattered all his hopes. “Meraj and another boy have been martyred, they told me on phone,” he said, covering his face in his hands while silence drapes the room.

Few minutes later, this silence is broken by wailing mother and two sisters of Meraj, in another room. “Oh dear please come, we all are waiting for you,” Meraj’s mother wailed aloud.

Outside, young boys seethe in anger. “Look, how mercilessly they have killed them,” a burly youth displayed the photographs of blood-drenched bodies of the two boys on his mobile. “Can’t they have fired bullets at the tyres of the vehicle? The aim was to kill,” he said.

By Muddasir Ali

First published on GK on 04-11-2014

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Boy who cheated death: An eyewitness account of Chattergam killiings

On November 3 morning, Faisal Yousuf met his friend, Zahid, at some distance from their homes in Nowgam locality on the outskirts of Srinagar. The two exchanged customary greetings and were soon joined by other friends. As the conversation warmed up, Faisal made jokes of Zahid's driving skills. Everybody, including Zahid, laughed theirs hearts out. 

"You know he once bumped his car into a girl on highway and he dares to call himself a driver," Faisal told Zahid.

"My family doesn't let me drive for this reason only," Zahid responded with a smile, to which Faisal added, "How shall they," sparking another spell of laughter. After cracking jokes, they shared their plans for the day. The conversation ended and everybody left for their homes.

In the afternoon of the fateful day, Shakir called his friend, Mehraj-ud-Din, and asked to join him on a drive. Mehraj was returning home from work. Shakir was accompanied by Zahid and they decided to wait for him till he had his meals. To kill time, they hopped into Zahid's Alto car and turned on the music. Mehraj soon joined them. 

As they embarked on the trip, Mehraj saw his best friends, Showkat and Ehsaan, and insisted them to join in, but they refused and instead went to Lal Chowk for shopping. The trio - Shakir, Zahid and Mehraj - were about to hit the road when Zahid got a call from Faisal. He wanted to join them too. Faisal was calling from a nearby playfield and asked them to receive him there. 

Shakir, Faisal, Zahid and Mehraj, the four teenage boys who were travelling in the car that met a tragic fate on Monday evening in Chattergam, live in the same locality since childhood. They know each other inside out. What they didn't know was the fate that was awaiting them in coming hours.

After meeting Faisal, all of them agreed not to take Zahid's car. Knowing his poor driving skills, Zahid's parents would regularly call him to return home whenever he was out on a drive. To avoid regular interruptions, they decided to take along a Maruti 800 car that belonged to Faisal's father. 

It was around 4:30 pm and the day was about to end.

Faisal got the keys of his father's car from home while his friends waited outside the gate of a local graveyard, where two of them - Faisal and Mehraj - will be buried, later, in a single grave. 

Basim Amin, the fifth boy who escaped unscathed in the shooting, is thinly built with fair complexion. He likes to rear pigeons and was, as always, looking for the birds in the sky. He was on his usual stroll on the highway in Nowgam when a honking car stopped near him. Inside the car were Faisal, Mehraj, Zahid and Shakir. Faisal who was driving the car offered Basim a drive to Suthsoo, a locality some four kilometre away from their location.

Basim agreed and joined the party. As a special gesture, Faisal offered Basim the seat beside him in the front.

Faisal sped up his car. On way to Suthsoo, they listened to music and gossiped. Faisal again teased Zahid for his driving skills. Nobody stopped them for frisking.

On their return, in Chattergam, uniformed men in twos and threes were stopping vehicles for checking. It was later known that they were troopers of Indian Army's 53 RR unit. A tipper was plying ahead of their car near a checkpoint when Army men waived at the driver to stop.

Faisal's car was behind the tipper and he decided to overtake. But his car brushed against the tipper. Another group of Army men standing few metres ahead waived at Faisal to stop. Already nervous, he applied handbrake but the car skidded off the road. 

The screeching tyres caught attention of the Army men who, without any provocation, pulled the trigger and fired the first shot which hit Faisal's arm. He lost control of car and rammed into an electric pole on the roadside.

All of a sudden, a volley of bullets pierced through the doors and windows. Nobody cried. There were no pleas, no justifications. The only sound they could hear was of their breathing and bullets.

When firing stopped, Faisal and Mehraj were dead in a pool of blood with bullets bored into their bodies. Shakir and Zahid were unconscious and bleeding. On the seat besides Faisal was Basim; stunned, motionless, pale but unscathed. A green-eyed boy known for his wittiness among his relatives and neighbours, he slowly pulled down the glass and got out of the car through the window. 

He rolled his body over the road four to five times and dropped into the low-lying paddy fields. With their guns pointed at the car, the Army men began retreating, perhaps out of fear of the boy coming out of the window. Seeing no response, the Army men fired several shots at him. Luckily, Basim escaped from the mouth of death. In real terms, he had cheated death.

Basim tried to run through the fields but he had no energy left in his body. Nevertheless, he managed to reach a house at the end of paddy fields where he drank a glass of water. His thoughts were with his friends. After about 30 minutes, he came to see if his friends are still there. But he could only see a large crowd of people at the spot. It soon dawned on him that the world he knows would no more be same to him. 

After a night of mourning, he joined the funeral prayers of Faisal and Mehraj next morning.

By Rouf Bhat

First published on authintmail.com 05-11-2014

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