‘Being a Kashmiri doesn’t make me a terrorist’

RAFIQ SHAH , acquitted in the 2005 Delhi blasts case

SHUHAMA, SRINAGAR: After 12 years, Rafiq Shah finally walked into his home at Shuhama on the outskirts of Srinagar on Wednesday. He was acquitted in the 2005 Delhi serial blasts case last week.

The 22-year-old post-graduate student of Islamic Studies at Kashmir University was picked up from his home late one night. Accused of detonating a bomb in a bus, it took Shah and his lawyer over a decade to prove that he was attending classes on the day. Shah agreed to be interviewed by HT on Thursday. Excerpts:

You’re home after 12 long years. How does it feel?

It feels really good to return home to my family and friends. Srinagar has changed considerably. Among the many I want to thank are people who stood by me and my family.

Tell us about the time you spent in Tihar jail.

Life in jail is very, very hard. I utilised my time and — Alhamdulillah (praise be to God) — managed to continue my studies. I read a lot. I met many (famous) inmates, including Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and CPI (Maoist) leader Kobad Ghandy. Even hours before his execution, Guru did not know that he would be hanged. It was only the night before we came to know about work being taken up on a war footing at the phansi (hanging) courtyard.

What happened the night you were picked up?

I was picked up from here. Policemen climbed the gates of our house, and they took me away without even allowing me to wear my shoes. I was taken to the Cargo (an infamous interrogation centre in Srinagar) and later to Delhi. It was only there that I came to know why I was picked up.

Why was Rafiq Shah, and not a neighbour or a classmate, picked up?

One of the reasons was my efforts towards launching student activism at Kashmir University. We had started raising our voices against atrocities. Arresting me was probably akin to issuing a warning to the student community.

What would you like to tell the policemen who arrested and tortured you on the basis of fabricated evidence?

I have often heard policemen say: Satyamev Jayate. But where is that ‘satya’? It’s clear what role the police played in our case. I think they are an implementation force, and we do not know from which corridor of power they get their instructions. I sympathise with victims of the serial blasts. However, that does not authorise police to arrest anybody with a Kashmiri name and brand him a mastermind of the attack. Being a Kashmiri is not the same as being a terrorist.

So, what next?

I will continue with my studies. But I also want to do something for humanity.