Mumbai, June 19
Ishrat Jahan Shameem Raza, who was shot dead by the Ahmedabad police earlier this week, was today buried in her native Mumbra, near here, amidst security.
Local traders and businessmen in the Muslim-dominated town observed a bandh as large number of people attended the 19-year-old girl’s funeral.
The police said heavy security arrangements were made in the town to prevent any untoward incident. Mourners wore black badges and shouted slogans against Narendra Modi as Ishrat’s funeral procession wended its way to a cemetery. Ishrat was killed with three men when they were traveling in Ahmedabad. While the Ahmedabad police claims to have recovered weapons used to shoot at them, public opinion in Mumbra is that all four were innocent since no policeman received injuries.
During the procession, Muslim residents, already angry at tight security measures, shouted at reporters that the dead were being falsely implicated because of their faith.
Meanwhile, media leaks from Pune and Mumbai police have sparked off reports that at least some of the four may have links to terror organisations.
The Pune police reportedly recovered 13 compact discs, including one related to the Gujarat riots.
Meanwhile, Ishrat’s mother Shamima Jahan Shaikh, who brought the teenager’s body from Gujarat, claimed that the police tried to coax her into admitting that her daughter was linked to the Lashkar-e-Toiba.
At the funeral, local political leaders were seen collecting donations for the family since Ishrat was the main breadwinner of the household.
Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi, who was among the mourners, told reporters that the killing was part of a major “attempt to malign the minority community”.
The Mumbai police is reported to have seized documents, including ration card and identity card, belonging to Ishrat and is examining the evidence.
