“The media is here, the politicians are here, all of the promises are here, but there is no justice for my son,” says Fatima, the mother of 22-year-old Altaf, who died in police custody in Uttar Pradesh’s Kasganj.
In the narrow lanes of Ahirauli, a small village of Kasganj district, scores of politicians and media persons throng Altaf’s house. His father, sick from trauma, is lying on a bed coughing.
“I will not let my voice break, this is the only way.” He explains, “I had handed my son over to the police with full faith; I did not know that the very next day we would have to find him dead. They have murdered my son, our only hope is to keep fighting.”
Altaf was taken into custody on suspicion of his alleged involvement with a minor girl. The girl’s family, living in Lalpur, where Altaf fixed tiles, had alleged that the two were in a relationship and Altaf had played a part in kidnapping the minor. The Kasganj police had filed a case against Altaf under Sections 363 and 366 of the Indian Penal code.
“My son was a bright boy; he was extremely reserved. We cannot believe that he would kidnap anyone. If he had kidnapped her, why would he be at his house? We were not allowed to meet him. When the police informed us of his death, they immediately wanted me to sign a letter saying I was in trauma. I felt pressured to sign whatever was asked of me. All we want is justice for our son.”
The family is currently demanding an independent probe by the CBI into the matter. While the Uttar Pradesh government has announced the initiation of magisterial inquiry into the death, many questions remain.