Ishrat Jahan’s family root traced to Patna

[1]

Ishrat Jahan, who was gunned down by Gujarat police in an alleged fake encounter, was born in Patna and spent the initial years of her life in the capital town before her family left for Mumbai 20 years ago.

M. Rahman, maternal uncle of Ishrat, told PTI that she was born in Patna’s Khagual area in 1985 and spend her early days at maternal grandfather’s home in Shahganj locality at Suntanganj area here.

Rahman, who is a lab assistant in Patna University, said the girl had her early education in a local school in Patna before the family migrated to Mumbai 20 years ago.

Ishrat’s grandfather Wali Muhammad hailed from Khagaul in Patna town, while her father Muhammad Shamim worked as a contractor in Patna and later shifted to Mumbai with his family for a better living, Rahman said.

Ishrat’s younger sister Musrat Jahan corroborated the fact. She said over phone that she was two-three years old when the family shifted to Mumbai.

Her mother Shamima Qausar hailed from Jamalpur in Munger district of Bihar and the family still visit Bihar, Musrat said, adding that the family was in Patna just four days ago.

JD(U) Rajya Sabha member Ali Anwar, who has been championing Ishrat’s cause, said since she hailed from Bihar her killing was a matter of grave concern for the people of Bihar who want that a daughter of the state gets justice.

He said he would launch a campaign across the country to “unmask” the real face of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in the killing of Ishrat Jahan.

Ending a 17-year-old alliance, the ruling JD(U) in Bihar split from NDA last month over the elevation of Modi as the chief of BJP campaign committee.