No Money for Bail Bond, Kashmiri Students Who 'Hailed' Pak T20 Win Await Release

Despite bail being granted, the three Kashmiri students are still behind bars, having no money to secure surety.

Hafeeza, Showkat's mother, holding a mobile phone displaying his pic.

(Photo: Ishfaq Majeed Wani)

Abject poverty, and the yearning to meet their wards, has literally pushed the families of three Kashmiri students who have been in Agra Central Jail for the past 160 days in a sedition case to the point of begging.

The three students – Showkat Ahmad Ghani, Arshad Yousuf Paul and Inayat Altaf Sheikh continue to be in jail even after being granted bail by the Allahabad High Court on 30 March.

The trio were detained after they allegedly posted a message on social media congratulating Pakistan for their win over India in a T20 world cup match.

“I had come here to meet my nephew after the COVID restrictions were over,” Mohammad Yaseen Paul, Arshad Yousuf's uncle told The Quint over the phone, adding that the next day, "the hearing of the case was supposed to happen and luckily the trio were granted bail.”

'Release a Distant Dream'

“In the last 5 months, we have been on our toes struggling to get our wards out of jail. But the bail plea was not being heard repeatedly for a long period,” the relatives of the three told The Quint.

Finally, on 30 March, the Allahabad High Court granted bail to them after a long wait of five months. However, the bail order has “failed” to bring joy to their family members because the trio is still behind bars, owing to the lack of money to be paid as a surety deposit.

“Eight days have passed after the bail was granted by the honourable court, but their release from jail still seems a distant dream because the court has asked us to deposit six lakh rupees as a surety deposit,” Yaseen said.

Arshad belongs to an extremely poor family. He lost his father when he was just a year old very in a tragic road accident, and now his family comprises his mother and two younger sisters.

“They don’t have any means of earnings, so it is going to be impossible to get together a hefty money of two lakh rupees in cash to pay as a surety deposit,” Yaseen told The Quint.

In an interview with The Quint, his family had said that Paul was good at studies and they had pinned hopes on him to change their situation after securing a good job.

"However, the nightmarish ordeal of the last few months has shattered her dreams,” Arshad's uncle added.

Arshad Paul's family sitting together.

(Photo: Ishfaq Majeed Wani)

“Whatever I had with me, I have spent that to pay the legal fee and travelling charges. Now, we are being asked to bring six people with each having to deposit one lakh in their bank accounts to furnish surety bonds to secure the release of our wards,” he said.

“Given the sensitivity and current dispensations, it is really difficult to find such six people who will come along with a surety deposit miles away in rescue of my nephew and his two colleagues,” he continued.

In Search of a Saviour

Over the last eight days, the family members have been running from pillar to post to persuade people to act as a saviour for their children, but all in vain.

“Given the fear and sensitivity related to the case, who will come as a saviour at this time? We have approached too many people but everyone has turned down our request,” he said.

“Besides, we have been literally begging for monetary help, but as of now, we have miserably failed to do so,” he said, adding that they had planned to submit property documents as a surety deposit but it will take months together to get the revenue extracts and other documents.

Back home, their families are equally depressed and clueless.

Showkat's mother, Hafeeza, told The Quint:

“My heart aches and yearns for my son. I feel choked and helpless and left with no option. I would sell my house and prefer to live under the open sky, but who will buy our ramshackle house?”

“Only a mother can understand the pain I am going through,” she said hopelessly.

On 30 March, the court while granting bail to the students, observed, “Unity of India is not made of bamboo reeds which will bend to the passing winds of empty slogans.”

Hafeeza, Showkat's mother, holding a mobile phone displaying his pic.

(Photo: Ishfaq Majeed Wani)

‘Jailed in False, Fabricated Cases'

The families of the trio, while talking to The Quint, had accused the authorities of booking them under false and fabricated cases.

“How can a WhatsApp status land our kids in jail?” they asked.

“Arshad has no criminal record nor is any FIR registered against him at his home. He doesn’t even care about cricket. This is his misfortune to say the least,” said Hilal Ahmad Paul, Arshad’s relative.

“They were very good in studies and had a bright future ahead, but the sedition case has literally ruined their career and opportunities,” Showkat’s elder brother, Parvaiz, said.

Soon after the detention of the trio, the Uttar Pradesh police had accused the trio of promoting “enmity” between two groups and creating or publishing content to promote “enmity”, however the college authorities had vehemently denied these charges.

Following their detention, the families had written to the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, but all in vain. UP CM, Yogi Adityanath, had ordered that those celebrating Pakistan’s win be booked under sedition.

The trio was presented before a magistrate in court and later shifted to Agra jail where lawyers and local goons thrashed and abused them. The incident was recorded on camera and had evoked widespread anger and criticism.

Like other families struggling to pay the legal costs, Showkat's parents were forced to sell their cow to pay the legal fees.

“We have paid over two lakhs rupees as of now – from travelling charges to the lawyers' fee. We are drained completely. We have no money to offer now,” Parvaiz said.

(Ishfaq Reshi is an independent journalist based in Kashmir. He tweets @IshfaqReshi_)