Srinagar, Mar 27: The family of 14-year old Faizan Rafiq Hakeem of Islamabad (Anantnag), who has been booked under the controversial Public Safety Act, today said medical examination on their ward have proved him to be a minor but the Government was not making the report public due to fear of embarrassment.
 The medical examination was conducted after the Government, and even the Chief Minister, doubted his date of birth certificate which showed him to be a 14-year old. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said the “best way to determine his age was to conduct a medical test.”
 The certificate issued by Faizan’s school shows the date of birth of the boy as 18-05-1996.
 Faizan’s father Muhammad Rafiq, a vegetable vendor, said he met his son on Friday in Kot Balwal Jail, Jammu. He said his son revealed to him that he was taken to Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu for conducting medical tests to ascertain the age.
 “The medical tests were conducted on March 22 and 23,” Rafiq said.
 “The jail officials and doctors who conducted the medical examination told Faizan that his age was matching as shown on the birth certificate produced by him,” the father claimed.
 “The report has been sent to the Government. However there has been no response from there side. I don’t know why they are not making the report public” the father said, who constantly broke down.
 Faizan has been booked under PSA which allows the Government to detain a person without trial for two years. But under the law no minor can be sent to jail.
 The distraught father said that Faizan was unwell. “He has been operated upon earlier in the head. He is suffering from an extreme headache,” Rafiq said. “They (jail officials) show no care to him. He has reduced a lot,” the father said.
 The father said Faizan wept as he left the jail.
 “They are facing very hard times due to callousness of jail authorities,” Rafiq said. “The other boys who have been charged with stone pelting are also facing lot of problems. I saw a boy meeting his parents, he hugged them and was ceaselessly weeping.”
 Medical Superintendent GMC Jammu, Ramesh Gupta, however said he was unaware of any test being conducted on the boy.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 27 Mar 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 27 Mar 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 28 Mar 2011 00:00:00 IST