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‘Didn’t even let me grieve': Wife of Punjab ex-DGP Mustafa's son speaks on Aqil's videos, drug abuse, death
"Aqil was a great father. He loved us. The system failed him. We could not pull him out of the clutches of narcotics,” Zainab said in an interview
The death of Aqil Akhtar, son of former Punjab DGP Mohammed Mustafa and ex-minister Razia Sultana, not only landed the parents in a legal case but put the spotlight squarely on his wife, who faced a barrage of allegations in videos he left behind. She has now spoken out.
“They did not even let me grieve in peace," Zainab Akhtar, 34, told The Indian Express. “Politics did not let me do that too. I am facing allegations that I have a relationship with my father-in-law, who I have considered more than my father.” she said.
She said she regrets that Aqil is being seen as a villain. "He was a great father. He loved us. The system failed him. We could not pull him out of the clutches of narcotics,” Zainab said, as per IE.
The family has stressed that Aqil was mentally unwell and a drug addict who died of an overdose at his home in Haryana's Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh. A murder investigation is now on, based on a complaint filed by a friend of Aqil's.
“My in-laws, including my father-in-law, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, have been my cushions... I can say in all honesty that they treat me just the way they treat their daughter. I am hurt at the way I am being put in the dock. I am worried about my children,” she said.
Zainab said she was already living separately in a house next door since last year after Aqil had turned violent. "We rented a house in the neighbourhood as I was clear that I want my children to get education in Chandigarh,” she said, adding that her focus is now on her two children, a daughter who is seven years old and son who is five.
The family would often eat together.
She recounted what happened from her perspective on the night of October 16. “I was feeding the children in the dining room. My mother-in-law was calling out to my husband (Aqil) to have dinner, saying his favourite food was prepared. Then I heard my sister-in-law knocking at his door. He did not open. This went on for 10 minutes. I saw both of them panicking. It was often that he did not open the door. But that day, I felt, was different," she said.
The family then opened the balcony door of his room. “By that time I had rushed upstairs. When my sister-in-law unlatched the door, we saw Aqil sleeping. He did not respond. I panicked and started rubbing his hands. I realised those were lifeless.”
She added, “We rushed him to the hospital. It was all over. I have thought about it so many times every day. I do not know what he did to himself… I do not know how he passed away.”
She told IE that he had packed his bag to go to rehab again.
An FIR later named Mustafa and Razia Sultana on a complaint based on a video uploaded by Aqil in August in which he alleged an illicit relationship between his father and wife. The family says there were video later of him denying all that, and saying he was mentally not well.
Zainab also spoke of the August day he's uploaded the video with the allegations. She claimed he apologised and deleted the video when the family found out. “Later, Aqil recorded another video apologising and stating that his earlier allegations were untrue,” she stressed, “However, after his death, the earlier video was shared extensively while the later one was not shared that much,” said Zainab, who is postgraduate in Mass Communication from Aligarh Muslim University.
She recalled happier days. “We used to go out, watch movies, go shopping, dine together. He would play with children. He loved cars. So does my five-year-old son.”
The situation worsened after he was introduced to the drug ICE in 2024. “After that, he suffered from psychosis… he started suspecting everyone… We tried to take him for counselling and give him anti-psychotic drugs. He would not take those drugs and say we wanted to kill him."
She said was told four days before his death that he had not been eating or bathing. “I texted him. He told me he was detoxing for a month. He was not eating well. Maybe that is why he could not handle his dose and passed away.”
Blaming the “system” she said, “There are no good rehabs. We sent him to one twice last year.”
Zainab said she is also worried about the “hate campaign” against the family on social media. “When my children grow up, they would search about their father on the social media. What are they going to find out? All this?” she asked.
The police have locked Aqil’s room, but the son keeps asking to open it. “I am hurt that I have to go through all this. But the truth will prevail in the investigation,” she said.
“My only regret is that his death is a harsh blow to all of us but at the same time it has let out the secret of the family… I want to climb up a high wall and shout to the world that he was a good human being. He was not a bad man. He loved us. But he had a problem. He needed help. He was helpless. He had no control on his choice of words."
