Police contest, say he was ‘heart patient and died of cardiac arrest’
Jalaluddin Wani of Nag Mohalla Awantipora, had come home from his duty three days ahead of Eid to celebrate the festival among his nears. But on Eid he died here allegedly by inhaling the smoke of the tear shells fired by forces.
His relatives say Jalaluddin died of suffocation caused by tear smoke shells fired by forces during clashes. However, according to police “he was a heart patient and died of cardiac arrest.”
Jalaluddin (48) was working in police department as Hawaldar and was posted at TRC Srinagar.
His story from the beginning was that of a tragedy. Jalaluddin had lost his father when he was a child. His mother had remarried when he was just 9.
Not married, Jalaluddin, according to his relatives, was living with his uncle.
According to his relatives, he had come home three days ahead of Eid to celebrate the festival. On the fateful day of September 13, he left home for Eid prayers. “Soon after the prayers, clashes broke out outside the mosque. Jalaluddin reached home in a state of nervousness complaining breathlessness and suffocation due to the tear smoke shells fired by the forces to quell the clashes,” his uncle Abdul Gani Wani said.
“We gave him some water, which he drank. We quickly rushed him to PHC Awantipora but he died on reaching the hospital,” he said.
Wani said that later the body was taken by hundreds of locals in a procession and put on the Highway as a mark of protest. “With body on the Highway, the people protested as it was evident that he had died of suffocation. Later, in the afternoon the body was taken to Pampore hospital for post-mortem”.
His cousin, Basheer Ahmad Wani said: “Jalaluddin was not a heart patient. He died due to suffocation caused by the shelling. He had inhaled smoke of tear shells and he informed us about it in the home.”
A doctor in Pampore hospital said: “We took the samples for the post-mortem but initially we have given the report as ‘probable cardio respiratory arrest’.”
However, he added that the actual cause of death “will be clear by the post mortem report.” (GK)
POLICE VERSION:
The police while denying the relatives’ version, said: “He was a heart patient and died only of cardiac arrest and not by smoke.”
“Jalaluddin had been admitted in the police hospital before Eid in Srinagar after suffering a minor heart attack. Later, he was advised to take rest and sent to home,” a top district police officer said.
“On September 13 he offered Eid prayers, and then went to home. Later, he had gone towards the mountains and after returning home he suffered a heart attack at around 12 noon and later died”.
“There is no reality in the blame that he died due to smoke but apparently he died of his heart ailment,” he said.