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‘Police atrocities forced him to pick up gun last Eid’

MAJID NABI. Dated: 7/13/2017 10:32:14 AM

SRINAGAR, July 12: Sajjad Gilkar, the Hizb militant, who was killed in an encounter yesterday picked up the gun just a fortnight back. He wouldn’t have done that, had he not been completely devastated and frustrated by the routine police atrocities, his family said.
The family of Sajjad Gilkar, resident of old Srinagar city, claimed that he would not have joined militant ranks had not police ‘inflicted miseries’ upon him and family.
With tears trickling down his face, Murtaza Nazir Gilkar, younger brother of the slain militant while talking to ‘Kashmir Times’ said that his family has been the worst victim of police atrocities that ‘impelled’ his brother to go against the system.
Murtaza who was waiting for the dead body of his brother at his residence at Pandhan area of Nowhatta said “killing of my brother has broken the back of my aged father who recently underwent a major surgery in his head. I am a student while my younger brother is dumb, now I have decided to quit studies and start some work to sustain my family”
The visibly distressed Murtaza while narrating his family’s woeful tale amidst cries and shrieks of women gathered at his residence for mourning accused the police of inflicting infinite miseries upon his family on one pretext or the other.
“I must not hesitate to say that my brother was incited by police to join militancy, even I was not spared. I had to spend a month in a lock up on behalf of my brother while my aged father was beaten by the police on several occasions. Sheer cruelty on the part of the police forced my brother an employee in a private firm to take this extreme step,” said Murtaza.
He said that before he picked up the gun, dozen odd cases were registered against Sajjad, from time to time, in the concerned police station for his involvement in stone pelting and he was repeatedly called to police station for questioning whenever any incident took place.
He also alleged that continuous harassment by police had caused immense mental agony to the deceased that eventually proved fatal.
“He was arrested many times under PSA, he had to attend an important court hearing the day he left home. I can only say my brother became the victim of police cruelty,” he claimed.
“He had left everything now, but he was called to police station every now and then. A day before Eid last month he was severely thrashed by the police and his clothes were torn while his friend was arrested in Nowhatta market when they were buying clothes at a readymade garment shop,” added the slain militant’s brother.
He said that on the fourth day of Eid, he left home and didn’t return. Despite filing missing report, police could not trace him till the news about his joining militancy spread after he was trapped along with three of his accomplishes in Budgam yesterday,” he added.
“We are waiting for the dead body now which police has been denying to handover. I want to see the last glimpse of my brother. It has been five hours since police said body would be handed over to the family but we are yet to receive it,’’ he said.