The lanes of Ghatmika were bizarrely quiet when we first went there; melancholy was spread across the streets, humanity was shrouded, and most of the houses were locked. A week ago Nasir (25) and Junaid (35) were burned alive. Their charred car was found on February 16, 2023, at the Haryana-Rajasthan border, with their bodies inside. They were kidnapped, assaulted, and set ablaze by cow vigilantes on suspicion of carrying beef.
Nasir left behind an adopted daughter and a mourning wife; Junaid left six children and a wife. We crossed the black gates of the small house of Junaid. His elder daughter was weeping silently with swollen eyes. Junaid’s son, Kaif, was quiet, with tired eyes and an emotionless face. We sparked a conversation and asked him how he was. “They burned my father alive,” he said, and suddenly tears started to roll down his dry eyes, and pain engulfed his emotionless face.
Sajida, Junaid’s wife, was sitting on the bed, tapping her elder daughter’s forehead with love to make her fall asleep. She told us how their elder daughter was always around Junaid, and his brutal death has shattered her.
On our request, Junaid’s son Kaif, accompanied us to the graves of Junaid and Nasir. We walked, crossed some houses, a few shops, encountered children of Kaif’s age playing on the road; they were happy, unlike Kaif, and finally we reached the graveyard. Their graves were laid side by side, with identical gravestones reading ‘Nasir and Juniad’ on both. We asked Kaif about the gravestone. “It was difficult to identify who’s abba and who’s Nasir uncle” he said without an emotion. Their bodies were burned so brutally that nobody could identify them.
Kaif led us towards the mosque, and we offered Salah for the departed souls. While praying we saw him sitting quietly with eyes wide open, we made a promise to the Almighty to bring his smile back..
Adhering to our promise, we visited Ghatmeeka quite often. Junaid’s daughter looked weaker on every visit and subsequently died. A religiously motivated hate crime yet again took away Sajida’s piece of heart. A daughter and a sister was lost, and how many daughters and how many sisters will die we don’t know, and when will this crime stop remains unanswered.
Sajida told us how Kaif yearns for his sister; he frequently misses studying with her. We asked Sajida about Kaif’s school. “Junaid was the sole breadwinner, and now we are left with nothing,” she said. On further conversation, she told us she wanted to send Arbaz and Juanid to school, but financial crises were a hindrance.
Happiness Raised Again
On learning about Sajida’s adversity, Shaagird Foundation stepped up and facilitated the admission of Kaif and Arbaz to Meer Public School, a boarding school in Rajasthan.A third-grader, Kaif, who lost his heart to brutality, is finding it again.
Once lost, he now exhibits confidence and participates in extracurricular activities. In our recent visit to Ghatmeeka, he smiled and told us how he could fluently read English paragraphs. ‘“Shall I read it for you?” he excitedly asked.
Sajida told us that Kaif spends most of the time studying. On further conversation, she said Kaif envisions dreams of becoming a police officer. He wants to end the hate crime so that another Kaif does happen to face the same fate.
In addition to facilitating the admissions, Shaagird Foundation along with Miles2Smile set up a cosmetic shop in Sajida’s house, helping her to make ends meet. Sajida merrily told us she sold two beautiful dupattas (long scarves) in the morning.
Shaagird Foundation’s small effort added meaning to Sajida’s life, gave a sense of purpose to Kaif and Arbaz, and rebuilt their homes.
