Mir Musavir
Irfan finds himself in a state of trauma, amid a little glee at their home in Galbug village in Pulwama’s Kakpora belt.He has been released nearly after nine months of detention in Bareilly Jail in Uttar Pradesh. At least 4,000 people, mostly young men, were arrested in connection with the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35 A of the Indian Constitution that granted special status to Jammu Kashmir.
Irfan Ahmed Hurrah was picked up by Government Forces in a raid at his home on August 5, the day when the right wing, Bhartiya Janta Party BJP tabled the controversial bill in the parliament that eventually led to the annulment of the nominal autonomy of Jammu Kashmir. Irfan Ahmed speaking to The Kashmiriyat said that he was first roughed up in a Police vehicle from his local Police station on 08 August, and then taken to an unknown location.
“We were looking for him everywhere, an intense search for him began since the Indian government had imposed a severe communication blockade on the entire region, shutting down the internet, mobile phone networks and landlines.” His father said that the blackout continued for several months, with high-speed internet still restricted. Hurrah says that he went to the nearest police station to inquire about his son’s whereabouts. But the officer in charge there said he had no clue regarding the whereabouts if Irfan.
In 2019, altogether 234 prisoners belonging to Kashmir were lodged in jails in Uttar Pradesh and 27 in Haryana prisons the Indian Government had said in the Rajya Sabha, most of these, 85 including prominent business leaders, Lawyers, Pro Freedom activists, workers of PDP, NC and Sajjad Lone’s People’s Conference were lodged in Agra Jail, 20 In Bareily and the rest in Lucknow, Ambedkar Nagar, Prayagraj and Varanasi central jail.
Narrating his ordeal in the jail, Irfan said that it was the toughest and scariest period of his life out there along with 19 other prisoners lodged in the Bareilly jail. It appeared as if we were dead and we had been sent to hell. “Yes, it was no less than hell out there, we were kept in a high security prisons, allowed to go out of our cell for an hour, the rest of the 23 years we would have to sit in the same cell.” Many of us wept wanting to get fresh air and see the open skies, but we were constantly denied permission to do so, by the authorities out there. “It was nine months of hell.”
Due to imbalanced food, majority of the prisoners became sick in the prison. Spending night in a packed room with little space even to move was an every day ordeal we suffered in the Bareilly prison for nine months. We were not allowed to move freely in the open space in the prison, the entire day.
“The worst part about being in the jail was the state of helplessness, we wanted several amenities, but could not even go out and seek them, we missed our families, wept a lot while we spoke about the well being of our families, we faced a never ending battle with insects who moved freely on our bodies as the roof was open,” Irfan recalled.
“Everyday we would look towards the gate, in anticipation of someone to call us and say that ‘you are being released'”. The time in the Jail, Irfan says, was harrowing. In Anticipation of our parents coming to meet us, our tears rolled down our eyes, but then a journalist lodged with us told us, it was a probable that our families had not been informed amid the lock down and they will soon come to meet us, Irfan recalled.
His father says that during the first meeting they had to make such a long journey, spending almost Rs 30,000 on travel, but no one told us that we needed a verification letter, Since phones and Internet were down, we could not call and ask for the letter to be faxed. We stayed there in Bareilly, spending thousands of rupees to get that piece of paper, his father told The Kashmiriyat.
Further reciting his ordeal Irfan said that he was after many months lodged with another 18-year old boy, Nadeem Ahmed Wani who is from Bolsu village of Kulgam. “Everyday in jail, several prisoners were optimistic about their early release and when politicians including Omar Abdullah were released, the inmates thought their chances of getting released had doubled,” he said. The inmates were hopeful that Omar Abdullah and others would demand their release and get them out of the jail.
“There were people as young as 16 and as old as 63, these young boys arrested without any charges is a dangerous trend, such brutal tactics can only maximalize once pursual of truth or may only radicalize one,” Irfan told The Kashmiriyat.
Mohammed Maqbool Hurrah said that when he heard that Irfan’s PSA has been revoked, the first thought that stuck his mind was to arrange money for travelling to Bareilly, which is at least 1300 Kilometers away from Pulwama. In the wake of Corona Virus across the world, the train and airplane services have been suspended across India, i was bewildered. “I had no money, then i went to my brothers and borrowed money from three people and finally ensured that Irfan reaches home.”
The Dossier of Irfan Ahmed Hurrah who was arrested on 05th August reads that 29 year old Irfan Ahmed Hurrah, associated with ‘Ahli Sunnat Wal Jamaat’ was an instigator and has been waging war against the Union of India.
Human rights observers at the United Nations have expressed their concern over the situation. “It’s very worrisome,” said Bernard Duhaime, the U.N. chair-rapporteur for the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. He urged India to ensure that detentions are properly registered, relatives are informed of detainees’ whereabouts and judicial authorities verify the legality of the detentions.