Palhallan (Pattan), Sept 6: Sarwa Begum doesn’t want to come down from the charpoy carrying her deceased son, Showkat Ahmad Malik, who was killed by police here.
In view of Shab-i-Qadr, Showkat was sent by his aged father, Abdul Aziz, to market to buy chicken and other food items.
 Showkat was standing outside a shop when a cavalcade of police and paramilitary CRPF fired on people. He received a bullet in his abdomen and died on spot. Soon after Showkat’s body draped in green cloth was shouldered to the lawn of his house from police station, his mother jumped on to the charpoy and embraced him. “Let me see my martyr. Let me see him one last time,” she cried and fainted. “He was my shadow. He was my dream. He can’t die and leave us alone - please awake him. He is not talking to me,” she cried. Some women tried to console her but in vain. “She is in a deep shock. Let her cry and understand that forces have martyred her son,” said a woman.
 Showkat was the only son among two unmarried sisters. He was popularly called by the name of Showkat while his name in school certificates is Feroz Ahmad Malik and was studying in 10th standard at Government Higher Secondary School Palhalan. Due to abject poverty, he used to go out for labour every evening after 5 pm till 1 am to make boxes for fruits.
 “He had told me that we will go for night prayers together. I would have never sent him to market had I knew that he will not return,” his father said. “With his death, my world has been shattered,” said shocked Aziz sitting outside his two storey modest house.
 A local resident, Ghulam Muhammad, said he was going to home after offering prayers in the masjid. “Suddenly after two minutes there was commotion and I heard gunshots only to find Showkat in a pool of blood outside a shop with chicken in his hand.”
 Neighbours and relatives throughout the day made a beeline to Showkat’s house.
 Expressing sympathies with the bereaved families, they said that forces were firing on them even without any protests. “It is better to protest against the Indian forces and their oppression. In both cases we have to die,” said a local resident. Showkat was a shy and a disciplined guy, said the locals.
 The killing sparked massive protest demonstrations in the village of more than 2000 households. A protest rally of more than 2000 people took the body along with his mother on charpoy to the martyrs graveyard chanting pro-freedom and anti-Government slogans. “We want freedom, go India go back,” they shouted. Later in the evening Showkat was laid to rest.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 6 Sep 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 6 Sep 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 7 Sep 2010 00:00:00 IST