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It's a ghastly spring for Kashmiri mother who lost her daughter to stray bullet

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Majid Hyderi
Majid HyderiMar 17, 2017 | 22:59

It's a ghastly spring for Kashmiri mother who lost her daughter to stray bullet

In the wee hours of March 15, Khushi Muhammad, a labourer, along with his family, was sleeping in his mud house in frontier Kupwara — some 90 kilometers away from the summer capital Srinagar — when a gunfight erupted in the sleepy hamlet.

Muhammad and his wife Makhini Begum were instantly woken up by the noise, and asked their four kids — three sons and a daughter — not to make any movement lest they got hit by stray bullets.

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As the gunfight raged on at a stone’s throw, the family stayed in bed.

Amid the deafening noise of the gun battle, it was frightening calm inside the poor man’s home.

After some time, the Makhini Begum could feel a dampness in the mattress. As she moved to probe the source, she felt the blood of her 12-year-old daughter Kaneeza. Hit by a stray bullet, her little one had died a silent death.

As the firing continued, another tragedy struck the family. Makhini Begum's six-year-old son Faisal too was hit by a stray bullet. While Kaneeza had already succumbed, the family decided to save the son come what may.

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The incident raises one basic question: why didn’t the government ensure the safety of the civilian population before the gunbattle? Photo: IndiaToday.in

Braving bullets, Makhni rushed out of the house towards cops positioned outside in the besieged area.

The combat cops expressed their willingness to help the bereaved family. With the help of some policemen, the wounded was evacuated.

While Muhammad stayed back with his daughter's body and the other two kids, a wailing Makhini escorted Faisal to Srinagar for specialised treatment.

But his condition continued to be critical, and Makhini couldn’t make it to the funeral of her daughter back home.

When the body was buried by evening, villagers said the police visited the bereaved with a conditional relief package comprising five kilos of sugar, 25 kilos of rice, five kilos of mustard oil and five blankets.

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“They asked us to keep all the food and other relief but that we should solve the case (killing) amicably without hue and cry,” they said.

As the traditional four-day mourning continues, there’s no end to the family’s helplessness. While Makhini is by her wounded son's side at a hospital in Srinagar, Muhammad was reportedly summoned by the minister of rural development Haque Khan as the latter wanted to condole the poor man’s daughter's demise.

Presumably, mantriji couldn’t find the time to visit the bereaved.

With their father and mother away, the responsibility to entertain mourners visiting the bereaved family has fallen on the tender shoulders of their two teenage sons: Aslam and Zaffar.

Away from home, Makhini mourns silently at the hospital lest her wounded son gets to know that his sister has died.

My daughter was most dear to me but I couldn’t see her before her last rites, can be there be a greater tragedy for a mother?” she asks, tears trickling down her cheeks.

The incident raises one basic question: why didn’t the government ensure the safety of the civilian population before the gunbattle?

According to district magistrate Kupwara, GM Dar, the police couldn’t evacuate the family in time as heavy exchange of fire was underway.

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But then, why is the precision of stray bullets so high in Kashmir? It is the second such civilian killing within a week near the encounter sites.

On March 9, 15-year-old Aamir Nazir was killed by a stray bullet in Pulwama.

With a mere stray bullet now take civilian lives in the Valley, spring in Kashmir raises new concerns.

But the state government looks confident. Amid endless mourning in her homeland, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, on March 17, urged the rest of India to visit the state and "enjoy the spring".

So welcome to Kashmir, but beware of stray bullets.

Last updated: March 17, 2017 | 23:03
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