Shortly after the CBI filed a chargesheet in the Ishrat Jahan case in a Gujarat court saying that she was killed in a “fake” encounter, her family members said here on Wednesday that though their oft-repeated stand that Ishrat was “innocent” had been “vindicated”, they would be fully satisfied only when those who ordered her killing were brought to book.
“For nine years I have been saying that Ishrat is innocent.. today the CBI chargesheet has vindicated my stand….the names of who killed my daughter have now come out. But we are not happy with just that.. We also want all those who ordered killing of my daughter are booked,” Ishrat’s mother Shamima Kauser said.
Addressing a news conference at the Mumbai Press Club, an emotional Shamima said: “My daughter was brave and honest. We were all happy when she was alive. But her death has snatched away all happiness from our lives. It is those who ordered the killing of my daughter have contributed to our unhappiness.”
Ishrat’s sister Nusrat, who was present along with her mother, uncle and other family members at the news conference, said that her family members had a reason to be happy that the “terrorist taint” that her family carried had been cleared and that it had been proved that her sister had been killed in cold blood.
“We are happy with the chargesheet, as it proves that Ishrat was killed in cold blood and that she was innocent. But we are not entirely satisfied because all the names of her killers have not come out yet. We want all those behind Ishrat’s killing are booked and punished,” Nusrat said.
“We had to go through a lot after my sister was called a terrorist. We didn’t get jobs… We have a reason to be happy that the terrorist taint on our family has been cleared,” Nusrat said.
Maharashtra NCP’s working president Jitendra Awhad, who accompanied Ishrat’s family members to the news conference, said that Ishrat’s family members had suffered a lot during the last nine years and “full justice” would be done to them only when the perpetrators of her “brutal killing” were brought to book.
“Ishrat’s family has tremendous faith in judiciary. Today’s development shows that people respect democracy,” Awhad, who is an MlA from Mumbra-Kausa (a constituency from where Ishrat’s family hails from), said.
Awhad, who has been taking up cudgels for the family ever since death of Ishrat in 2004, said: “The chargesheet reveals that they were put under illegal confinement and killed,” he said, adding: “All those behind it must be punished.”
Isharat’s family friend Rauf lala, who supported the family during their legal battle said: “We have no political alignment. We are not interested in supporting any political party. The Congress has not gone out of the way to help us. But we are happy to see that law is taking its course. We hope that more people responsible for this encounter are also booked”.