Breaking Stereotypes

The first match was against a team from Delhi, and all odds were stacked against the team from Kashmir. “Girls from Kashmir were not even supposed to be playing the game,” says Soliha Yousuf, the captain of the girl’s rugby team from Kashmir.

That they had reached Pune to play in the ‘All India Senior Girls Tournament’ held in August, was a big achievement for them. Most of the players in the team aged between 14-16 years of age had started out playing rugby just to “chill out”, but soon fell in love with the game.

At home, the team did not even have a permanent rugby playground to practice on, but they made sure that whenever they got free time, they put it into the game.

“Sportsperson’s life is practice but here in Kashmir, our rugby team has only Sunday’s for practice and for that day also we first have to seek permission. We have to play in field meant for other sports, since we have no other choice.” says Dhuha Qazi, a player.

But all this was not visible in the game against Delhi Lions-a Delhi based team, who were taken by surprise completely. “When we play, we play for pride, and give it our best try. When we went into the game against Delhi, we forgot everything else and gave it our best try,” says Soliha.

The team won against the much fancied team from Delhi, and went on to win two more games, against “much trained” opposition. “The win against Delhi boosted our confidence, and we did not look back,” adds Soliha.

The team qualified for the finals against Bangalore. The match was progressing well and both the teams were equally poised. But as ill luck would have it, two players from the Kashmir team got injured and Bangalore had a narrow win. “I think we would have won, if there would have been no injuries,” says Bisma, a player. “But even reaching up to the final was a big achievement for us,” she adds. more

'Framed' by Paying Guest

WasimAkram Malik, a medical student believed to be the ‘mastermind’ behind the Delhi court blast on September 7 was actually handed over to NIA (National Investigation Agency) by his parents.The NIA had sent a letter to Wasim’s family on October 2, stating that the investigation agency wanted to question the boy.

Wasim, a resident of the Kishtiwar, was called by his father to reach New Delhi as soon as possible. He is pursuing his final year of MBBS from JalalabadRagibRabeya Medical College and Hospital at Sylhet near Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Wasim had reportedly called the NIA officials himself and provided them with his flight itinerary information. On October 4th, he reached the Delhi airport, where NIA officials and his parents were already present.

“NIA officials told me they will take Wasim for some time, as they have to question him about the Delhi blast. I didn’t have any objection as I was aware my son is innocent and they will release him after questioning,” says his father, ReyazUl Hassan, an employee of the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC). “Theyhave made my son a scapegoat. If he had actually been involved, then he would have never come back for answering their questions.”

Wasim’s family says they were shocked to hear claims telecast on TV channels that Wasim was arrested from the Indo- Bangla border. Wasim’s parents deny all allegation against their son and say, “We have bank records (ATM) which prove he has made transactionsfor shopping on September 7thfrom Jammu. He was charge sheeted by the Jammu Traffic Police for driving without helmet on September 8th. Moreover, there are CCTVs in all those malls from where he did his shopping. Why don’t these investigative agencies check that CCTV footage that can prove his presence in Jammu?”

Wasim was reported to police byAzhar Ali, who is presently lodged in Kotbalwal Jail in Jammu. Ali, a resident ofPaadar, Kishtiwar is allegedly the ‘underground worker ofHizbulMujahideen’ and has been in jail since 2009. But family members say Ali was their paying guest for 5 or 6 months in 2010. AzharbefriendedJunaidAkram, Wasim’s younger brother who was studying in 10th at the time.

But on November 8, 2010, Ali kidnapped Junaidfor ransom. The family members themselves got the call details of Junaid, traced Ali and lodged an FIR (no. 242/2010) in the concerned Police station of Kishtiwar. The family believes Ali had falsely dragged Waseem’s name in the Delhi blast case to settle personal scores.

Wasim has also been questioned about Junaid Malik, his younger brother, who is alleged to be ‘a HizbulMujahideen commander’ and is believed to be one of the key conspirators in the Delhi blast. But their mother Shameemasays, “Junaidwas born in 1995. When he was kidnapped, he had just finished his class 10th examination and had gone to attend a relative’s wedding. I have a copy of the FIR from when my son Junaid was kidnapped.more

The Young and The Restless

Muzaffar Ahmad Mir, 18, has been bedridden for the past year. The most he can do by himself is blink—to make any other physical motion is just too difficult. He is one among the 4000 youth who were injured during last summer’s unrest. A bullet pierced through his chest, damaged his spinal cord and leaft him paralyzed.

Muzaffar cannot move his legs nor can he stand on his own. He needs four people to change his position in bed. He’s just a teenager, but even his simple desire to go out in an open space on his own is a luxury now. “When he wants to go out in the garden, it takes ten people to fulfill his desire because we have to lift him along with the mattress he is on,” says his mother Sara.

After undergoig an operation on his damaged spinal cord, Muzaffar had to spend six months in the hospital. Most of the body parts of this young man are wrapped in bandages because he of the severe bed sores he developed over the course of this year.

“His wounds are so bad right now that there is constantly a transparent liquid that oozes out from them,” says Sara. “He has lost his appetite. It has been one and a half months since he had any solid food.”

According to doctors, a bed sore or an ulcer is the degeneration of parts of body tissues developing in a patient due to a prolonged bedridden state. more