Death row convict Shabnam’s son appeals to President Kovind for clemency

LUCKNOW: Taj, now 12 and on verge of adolescence, was born in jail by Shabnam, who now faces gallows after being convicted for hacking seven members of her own family in Amroha on April 14, 2008.

To save her mother, who could be the first woman convict to be sent to gallows since Independence, Taj has urged President Ram Nath Kovid to have mercy on her and pleaded for forgiveness on his mother's behalf.

Making a last-ditch attempt to save his convicted mother from being hanged, Taj has appealed to the President to review the mercy petition. Notably, the then President Pranab Mukherjee had already rejected Shabnam’s mercy petition after Supreme Court had upheld her death sentences in 2015 paving way for her hanging along with her lover Salim.

Shabnam was two months pregnant when she had executed the gruesome crime and axed seven of her family members in connivance with Salim as the family was opposed to her relationship with him.

As per the sources, Taj was born in Moradabad Jail on December 13, 2008. Later, Shabnam’s friend Usman Saifi adopted him on July 30, 2015, when he was only six.

The local sources claimed that the Usman and his wife live in Bulandshahr and the couple has grown Taj like their own son. Taj is studying in Class VI and calls the couple 'Chote' Mummy and Papa.

Usman, while talking to media persons in Bulandshahr, claimed the despite knowing about the conviction of his mother and also the crime she had committed, Taj decided to appeal to the President seeking mercy for his mother.

Shabnam is lodged in Rampur jail and Usman had taken Taj to meet her on January 21, this year. During the meeting, as shared by Usman, Shabnam asked Taj to study hard to be a good man and forget about his mother. Usman said that during the meeting, Taj was quiet most of the time. However, in return, he asked a number of questions about his mother.

Usman said he had promised Shabnam that he would take Taj one last time before her death sentence was executed in Mathura jail.