Bittersweet homecoming for Jalgaon man acquitted in 2006 Mumbai train blasts case

The Hindu

4 days ago

Asif Khan, one of the 12 accused acquitted by the Bombay High Court in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case on July 21, walked out of Pune's Yerwada jail the next day around 10.30 p.m. after spending 19 long years behind bars.
The reunion at his home in Maharashtra's Jalgaon on Wednesday morning was an emotional one, marked by tears, hugs, and a sense of disbelief.
His mother, Husna Bano Bashir Khan, 70, couldn't contain her emotions as she spoke about her son's ordeal. 'Asif was always innocent; he lost 19 years of his life. This delayed justice can never compensate for that,' she said.
On July 11, 2006, a series of seven bomb blasts occurred in the first-class compartments of seven suburban local trains in Mumbai between 6:23 p.m. and 6:29 p.m., resulting in the tragic loss of 187 lives and leaving 824 people injured.
Mr. Asif was 33 years old when he was arrested in connection with the blasts, leaving behind his wife, Nishat, and three children, who were aged six, four, and two at the time.
Then he was working in a construction company as a civil engineer in Mumbai's Kandivali area. 'After securing a diploma in civil engineering, he was working in Jalgaon for a year with a small company. In 2000, he got the job in Mumbai. Three years into the job, he found a rented home in Mira Road and moved there with his wife and children for a better life,' recalled his mother.
The investigation into the blasts led to the registration of seven separate FIRs across different police stations in Mumbai, which were later consolidated and handed over to the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for investigation. The ATS identified 13 people as the accused and they were tried alongside 15 absconding accused. Two of the accused died during the trial.
A chargesheet was filed and the matter proceeded as a special case before the Special Court in Mumbai designated under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999, and the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008.
Ms. Husna said her husband, a tractor mechanic, passed away 15 years ago due to prostate cancer, with the grief of his son's imprisonment weighing heavily on him.
As Mr. Asif was the only earning member when he was arrested and his younger brother was still in college, the family had to borrow money from relatives to survive. Ms. Nishat stitched clothes to earn a living, the mother said.
'In denial and disbelief'
Recalling the day her son was arrested and the struggles the family faced, she said, 'I am still in denial and disbelief to see him in front of my eyes. I am not able to process this happiness; what if it goes away? I am seeing my son after almost two decades. Nineteen years is a long time; our lives have changed, the atmosphere of the village has changed, people passed away in the family, including his walid (father). He hoped he would see Asif before dying,' she said.
His mother added, 'I have not cooked anything special for him yet; I am in the process of allowing myself to believe my son is with us. We don't want to be too happy at the same time as we are too scared to lose anyone... It feels like a dream to see my son walk around the house again.'
Just two days before the judgment acquitting Mr. Asif, his family had welcomed a newborn: a girl, who was born to his elder son. They considered the child a symbol of good luck, Ms. Husna said, but the infant passed away due to jaundice on Wednesday evening, bringing a wave of fresh sorrow to the family.
Mr. Asif and his childhood friend, Parvej Khan, 50, who was working in an advertising company in Mumbai's Mumbra region, were named in a case for being alleged members of the Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). Mr. Asif was also named in the September 2006 Malegaon blasts case. He was later acquitted of all charges. On July 13, 2020, Mr. Parvej and Mr. Asif were acquitted in the SIMI case by the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court, but Mr. Asif remained in prison in the train blasts case, Mr. Parvej said.
For Mr. Parvej, life still feels like a start from scratch as he struggles to find work. 'I am working as a commission agent for properties now but this is also very challenging as people do not want to interact with me much. I have lost all my friends who studied with me in a convent school in Jalgaon. Only two to three friends called me, but that too for the sake of courtesy; everybody maintains a distance from me and my family,' he said.