By Sayima Ahmad
On February 16, 2023, the charred bodies of two brothers identified as Junaid and Nasir were discovered inside a burnt Belero car on the Rajasthan-Haryana border. The two young men were brutally beaten and killed by gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes) who accused them of cattle smuggling.
After a year, Junaid’s 14-year-old daughter, Parwana, deeply affected by her father’s brutal murder, recently passed away.
Tragically, due to the overwhelming grief, Parwana’s health started deteriorating rapidly and she died of a heart attack at the hospital.
‘When will my father come back?’
55-year-old Ismail, Junaid’s cousin, said, “It was the grief… Parwan could hardly speak and her health had started deteriorating after her father’s death.”
“Parwana often asked us these questions: What had my father done? Why was he killed? When will he come back home? But we didn’t have any answers,” Ismail told The Print.
One day Parwan’s health condition deteriorated more. She had a fever, prompting her family members to take her to the hospital where she was admitted. Around 11:30 pm, she suffered a heart attack and died.
The night Parwana died she called her mother from the hospital telling her that she would soon return home. This was the last time Junaid’s wife Sajida heard the voice of her teenage daughter.
Widows strive to rebuild lives
Despite immense economic and social challenges, Sajida and Nasir’s wife Parmeena are striving to rebuild their lives.
To cover expenses to feed her six children and for their studies, Sajida reportedly opened a small cosmetic shop this week. Before the small business, Sajida earned around Rs 8,000 monthly by selling milk and crops as she owned two acres of agricultural land and one buffalo. However, with time her agricultural income and earnings from dairy now fall short to cover all expenses.
This story was originally published in siasat.com. Read the full story here.
