Delhi serial blasts: End of 12 agonising years of wait, says family of acquitted | Latest News Delhi - Hindustan Times
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Delhi serial blasts: End of 12 agonising years of wait, says family of acquitted

Hindustan Times | By, New Delhi
Feb 16, 2017 11:36 PM IST

Police charged three people with murder and waging war against the state but even the convicted mastermind – Tariq Ahmed Dar – will walk out a free man as he has already served 12 years in prison. Two other suspects -- Mohammed Rafiq Shah and Mohammed Hussain Fazili – were acquitted.

The first thing 34-year-old Mohammed Rafiq Shah did after coming out of his court hearing on Thursday was search for his parents.

New Delhi, India - Feb. 16, 2017: Sanjeev Kumar Yadav ( C ) DCP(Special Cell) (leaves Patiala court after 2005 Delhi Serial Blasts Two accused are Acquitted and One Sentenced to 10 Years in Prisonin New Delhi, India, on Thursday, February 16, 2017. (Photo by Vipin Kumar/ Hindustan Times) in Prisonin New Delhi, India, on Thursday, February 16, 2017. (Photo by Vipin Kumar/ Hindustan Times)(Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)
New Delhi, India - Feb. 16, 2017: Sanjeev Kumar Yadav ( C ) DCP(Special Cell) (leaves Patiala court after 2005 Delhi Serial Blasts Two accused are Acquitted and One Sentenced to 10 Years in Prisonin New Delhi, India, on Thursday, February 16, 2017. (Photo by Vipin Kumar/ Hindustan Times) in Prisonin New Delhi, India, on Thursday, February 16, 2017. (Photo by Vipin Kumar/ Hindustan Times)(Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

In a sea of people who had flooded the court, Shah spotted them sitting in a corner, flanked by media persons and police personnel. His mother Mehmooda and father Mohammed Yasin stood up on seeing him.

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Somebody from the crowd shouted “Mubarak ho” and “Rafiq”. Shah acknowledged it with a wave, just as a relieved man would.

On Thursday, Shah was acquitted of all charges in the 2005 Delhi serial bomb blast case. Two days ago, Mehmooda and Mohammed Yasin had travelled from Kashmir and come to the capital just for Thursday’s court hearing. They met their son in Tihar Jail on Tuesday.

“Rafiq is my only child. He suffered a lot in the past 12 years as the trial wore on. When we met him on Tuesday, he told us about the upcoming court hearing. All I could do then was pray to god that justice is delivered,” said Mehmooda.

Read: 2005 blast victims get on with life, positively

She was anxious before the court hearing began around 4pm on Thursday. She, her husband Mohammed Yasin and a handful of neighbours had arrived early, hoping to catch a glimpse of Shah before he was taken inside the court.

As soon as the verdict was pronounced, the family heaved a sigh of relief. “Our son will finally be reunited with us after 12 agonising years,” Shah’s father Yasin said after the hearing.

Shah’s family hails from Hazaratbal in Kashmir. His parents claimed that Shah was pursuing his MA at Kashmir University when the serial blasts occurred in Delhi in 2005. Police picked him up from his house in November, 2005.

“Rafiq was preparing for his exam when police suddenly came to our house and took him. I will never be able to forget that night. It changed everything. What followed was my son’s struggle for almost 12 years. His life was ruined,” Mehmooda said.

Aman Deep, Shah’s friend, said that whenever family members or friends visited him in jail, he always demanded books to read. Shah also borrowed books from the jail library to read every day.

The family now hopes that Shah will have a normal life. When asked what she would do when he finally comes home, Mehmooda smiled and said, “I will cook all his favourite dishes.”

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Snehal Tripathi covers crime and policing in Delhi. A trained electronic and electrical engineer, she always wanted to be a journalist, starting this journey with the hyper-local edition of Hindustan Times in south Delhi.

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