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Journalism of Courage
Fakkruddin Yusuf Sikligar (45), an accused in the Godhra train carnage and a POTA detainee, died in judicial custody late on Tuesday but both the jail and hospital authorities claim he wasn’t in their care when it happened.
Jailer I.V. Chaudhary said Sikligar complained of uneasiness after which, ‘‘he was immediately admitted to the civil hospital where doctors said he died due to complications arising out of low blood pressure.’’
But doctors at the hospital said he insisted that Sikligar was brought dead and that ‘‘hospital records point out the fact’’. They said the death could have been caused by cardiac arrest, perhaps owing to sudden fall in blood pressure.
To add to the confusion, Sikligar’s widow Amina Begum today moved an application in the special POTA court alleging that her husband had died because of negligence of jail authorities.
Amina said her husband had appeared ill when she visited him last Tuesday. She claimed Sikligar had also told her that he wasn’t being given proper medical treatment. Special POTA judge Sonia Gokani has now directed the jail authorities to produce Sikligar’s medical papers in court tomorrow.
Earlier in the day, Justice Gokani took serious note of the lapse on the part of the jail authorities in not informing the court about the death. She called for a report on the matter from the Sabarmati Central Jail authorities.
Amina told The Indian Express: ‘‘I came of know of my husband’s death when some policemen came to my house. I wasn’t around then so they took my daughter’s thumb impressions on some blank papers. ‘‘My husband, a truck-driver, was picked up by police on the day of the Godhra incident (Feb 27, 2002) at 5.30 pm. He was sent to jail on March 17 and was there since,’’ she added.
