Eral: 5 yrs, 596 court trips, he put life on hold to seek justice

Also alive was his maternal aunt Madina Sheikh, whose 17-year-old daughter was raped and killed. The two houses which were home to Firoz and Madina were set on fire.

Firoz, then 22, put his grief on hold and teamed up with Madina to fight tirelessly for justice. For the next five years, he single-mindedly focussed on bringing the guilty to book, even giving up his job.

Firoz made sure he was present whenever the case came up for hearing. And he has kept count. “I have visited the court 596 times, I memorised each visit,” he says. “I tried to learn how the defence worked, how they examined witnesses,” he adds. So now, Firoz, a Class X dropout, is well versed in legal terminology.

“All the eyewitnesses in the case did well, but Firoz, of a rare breed, insisted on being there for every court hearing,” confirms Siraj Malik, special counsel to the prosecution.

He was there in court yesterday too, when eight of the accused were sentenced to life. But the acquittal of 28 others has left the Sheikhs outraged.

The last few years have not been easy. Both aunt and nephew were strapped for cash, and under constant threat from the accused. “In 2004, the Kalol police raided my house but left as they found nothing,” he recalls.

And when threats didn’t work, they were offered enticements. “Once when we were offered Rs 20 lakh, Madinabibi told them we’ll pay you Rs 30 lakh, you tell the truth and leave us alone,” says Firoz, now married to Saida, a relative.

Both Firoz and Madina have since moved to new dwellings, leaving the burnt houses as they were — a stark reminder of the killings. “We decided not to rebuild the houses as a reminder of what happened,” says Firoz, adding that despite what happened his family would never leave Eral. “We were born and brought up here and will die here. But we will not leave Eral, we have an equal right to it,” he says.