Daughter dead, cops ignoring, poor carpenter sees hope in court order

April 21, 2010, Wednesday, Sumit Saxena, Hindustan Times

New Delhi: For a 65-year-old man, there’s nothing more heart breaking than seeing the last rites of his child. Jameel Safi, a carpenter by profession, is one man who has suffered this torment.

On January 2, 2010, Safi’s elder daughter, Shabana (35), was found dead in mysterious circumstances in her matrimonial house.

Tired of her husband Salim Safi’s gambling ways due to which the family was reduced to penury, and the daily torture he inflicted on her, Shabana, a mother of four, had reportedly committed suicide.

Earlier, Shabana had expressed to Safi her fear for her life at the hands of Salim. Soon after his daughter’s death, Safi approached the police, but only to be disappointed as no FIR was registered.

Safi did not even have enough funds to pay for his elder daughter’s post-mortem report.

On April 7, Safi broke down in the court of Delhi High Court Justice S.N. Aggarwal and asked for “justice for the cold-blooded murder of my daughter.” The court, citing it as a cognisable offence, asked the additional standing counsel to file a status report within a week.

Speaking to HT, Safi recalled the horrors he went through to get justice for her daughter.

“I have no money to bribe police. People ask me to pay for my daughter’s post-mortem report. I have exhausted all my funds in past four months chasing police officials,” Safi said.

He spoke about his first appearance in the Delhi High court. “I told the judge about my condition and requested the judiciary to have mercy for the poor. A poor man’s daughter was brutally murdered please give me justice,” Safi added.

Alim Mizaj, Safi’s counsel, told the court, “Till date we have not got the post-mortem report. After court orders, police registered an FIR, but in abetment to suicide, on April 16”.

He contended that Safi had pleaded before the police at Jamia Nagar police station, but was always forced out. The next hearing is on April 21.

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