by Khalid Bashir Gura
SRINAGAR: As the results of class 12 examinations were declared by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education, the morning turned out to be mourning for the family of Mubashir Sajad Dar, 19. A resident of Nawpora, Dar passed his examinations with distinction scoring 439 out of 500.
The inconsolable mother of Mubashir rushed to his grave with sweets to hug and congratulate her son who died mysteriously on December 28, 2020 year when he was on a night-long outing with his friends in Pahalgam. He died in his hotel.
Following the declaration of results, as his marks card got viral on social media; relatives, neighbours, friends rushed in, to console the inconsolable parents of Mubashir. “It could have been a day of happiness and celebration for the family if our son would have been alive,” Mubashir’s father, Sajad Ahmad Dar, said, with tear welling up in his eyes, as he opens the bag to show the medals, certificates of achievement his son had accomplished. Dar Sr works in the insurance sector and his wife serves the government.
“They are the witness that our son was not a drug addict. Can a drug addict take part in sports activities and achieve excellent academic results,” Dar Sr asks.
According to his father, on December 13, Mubashir’s examinations concluded. He wanted to pursue his career in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and also wanted to study at Delhi University. Mubashir was also a good football player and went to the gym regularly,” recalled his father as he continues to pursue his awards and clinking medals.
On December 26, before departing, the deceased sought permission from his parents to go on a nightlong outing. His mother was reluctant to permit him to go. However, his friends persuaded her and, for that, they visited her office.
“They had told her that they have to leave to study outside and will not be able to meet frequently,” Mubashir’s father said about the meeting of his son’s friends with his mother. “After allowing her son, the mother was constantly in touch with him. At 10:30 pm in the night, when the mother called again to seek updates, the phone was switched off.” He said the mother and her son were like friends.
On the next morning, the father receives a call from an unknown number. As he receives it, the voice of his son was reassuring. “He called from his friend’s phone and told me that he is fine and his phone’s battery is low,” Dar said.
However, hours later, the phone of his son continues to be switched off.
Soon, the neighbour of Dar knocks on his door and tells him that his son has been injured in an accident. “The body language of his neighbour and his words did not match as the family sensed something serious,” the father recalls. The family was soon asked to collect the body bag of their son.
According to Sajad, Mubashir’s health had started to worsen on the night of December 27, and was taken to Pahalgam dispensary by his friends. “On the morning of December 28, my son was taken to the Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag where doctors had declared him brought dead,” he said.
Later, “the police alleged that he died on spot due to drug overdose,” Dar said, a charge denied by him on his deceased son.
According to the family, until now, they have been waiting for the post-mortem report and the status of the investigation by the police, but to no avail. “The investigation is going at an excruciatingly slow pace,” he said.
Reportedly, suspected trio friends who accompanied Mubashir to health resort are in jail including a drug dealer from Bijbehara.
On January 6, 2021, the police arrested four suspects involved in a death case’ at a Pahalgam hotel. Reportedly, many suspects were rounded up and were questioned which included his (deceased’s) friends who accompanied him to Pahalgam. Technical methods were used to collect evidence which led to some suspect’s arrest. Following it, on the basis of investigation, a case under FIR number 02/2021 under section 304 IPC 8/21, 20, 27 NDPS Act was registered in police station Pahalgam.
The four suspects, Usman Ali Baba, Omar Aftab Dar, Kateeb Ali Buch including drugs dealer Reyaz Ahmad Dar have been arrested. According to his father, the only mistake according to other friends of Mubashir’s was why he joined the trio in an outing?
