By KT NEWS SERVICE
SRINAGAR: Twenty-one-year-old Majid Ali (name changed) is among the 90 people booked under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) after the deadly attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, including 25 tourists and one local resident.
On April 23, a day after the attack, Majid received a phone call from the local police station. Calmly, he told his mother, Fareeda (name changed), “Mom, don’t worry. It’s just a routine questioning. I’ll be back soon.”
Trusting his words, she watched him leave home—unaware that the routine call may lead to months of agony. Almost a month later, she has no idea why he was picked up. “The only reason he was picked up was his old record of detention in 2016 when he was barely 12 years old,” she reveals.
When Fareeda visited the police station on April 23, the atmosphere appeared somewhat routine. Dozens of other young men were already in custody. Majid met her with quiet strength and even managed a smile.
“Nothing to worry about. Everything is fine,” he said. His calmness gave her hope.
On April 26, Fareeda suspected this might be a long haul, when during a brief meeting with her son inside the station, Majid asked her, “What was the name of the file when I was detained in 2016?”
The question was unexpected—and chilling. She left the station that day with a growing sense of dread.
The next morning, when she returned again to see her son, Majid was missing.
The police offered no explanation. “He is not here,” they said.
Panic-stricken, Fareeda sought out the sub-inspector, who was standing outside even as he had rudely brushed her aside on previous visits. Desperate and trembling, she asked, “Where is my son?” He replied indifferently, “I don’t know. Come to the police station.”
She broke down right there, collapsing on the road before his jeep. With help from passers-by, she somehow reached the police station again.
Inside, she received no answers—only curt responses and cold shoulders. “We don’t know where your son is,” they repeated.
This story was originally published in kashmirtimes.com. Read the full story here.
