Srinagar, Aug 8: The family of 55-year-old Aisha Begum, who died in clashes between protesters and paramilitary forces on past Saturday, is finding it too difficult to come to terms with her loss.
 Living in a modest house at Basant Bagh here, Begum’s family feels her around all the time. “It is always painful to lose someone you love. It seems as if she (Aisha) is still among us,” recounts the grief-stricken family members.
 Aisha was hit by a stone during clashes between the protesters and paramilitary CRPF personnel at Basant Bagh on past Saturday. She later succumbed to her injuries at the SK Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura.
 The family members said Aisha Begum wife of late Muhammad Amin Sheikh of Nai Sadak ventured out of her home to buy milk on Friday night and was caught in the clashes. “It was around 8: 30 pm when she left home. She took her grand daughter along. That the protesters and CRPF men clashed and Aiysha was caught in the clashes,” they said. “Both the protesters and CRPF men were hurling stones at each other.”
 It was dark outside and she probably wasn’t aware of the clashes going on at the main road. She was hit by a stone. We saw her lying flat on ground with milk-tumbler in her hand.”
 Aisha’s son, Firdous Ahmad, said she was taken to SKIMS by people who witnessed the incident.
 Aisha’s three daughters and a son are married. She stayed with her two bachelor sons.
 After her death on Saturday, her family and neighbours alleged that police and CRPF harassed the mourners. “The CRPF asked us that they would allow only 20 persons to offer her funeral prayers. We had a difficult time,” they said.  Aiesha was laid to rest at martyrs’ graveyard at Malteng. The doctors at the SKIMS who operated upon her have mentioned “cardio pulmonary arrest due to cardiac rupture” as the cause of her death.
 “A broken rib bone had pierced and damaged her heart after she was hit by a blunt object in her chest,” the doctors say.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 8 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST