27 October,2017 09:28 AM IST | Mumbai | Faisal Tandel
Following the news of the death of Fahad Shaikh, one of the four Kalyan men who allegedly joined the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Iraq, his family has said the three youths who died would have been alive had the government been kinder
Following the news of the death of Fahad Shaikh, one of the four Kalyan men who allegedly joined the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Iraq, his family has said the three youths who died - one is alive and in police custody - would have been in India and alive had the government been kinder to them.
Fahad Shaikh
In May 2014, the four young men - Areeb Majeed, Fahad, Aman Tandel and Saheem Tanki - left for Baghdad for a pilgrimage, after which they allegedly joined IS. Majeed returned in November 2014 and is in police custody. Shaheen and Aman died in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
Should have been counselled
The family says the youths would have been alive and in India, had the government not given them such step motherly treatment. "After Areeb Majeed returned in November 2014 of his own free will, the families of the three youths approached the government agencies, asking them to treat him compassionately. But the authorities booked him under sections that claimed he was a terrorist. He is still in jail. Had they treated him kindly, the other three would also be willing to come to their hometown," said one of Fahad's bereaved relatives, adding, "All four youths left the country after being radicalised. They should have been counselled and asked to continue their education."
Died four to five days ago
Meanwhile, Dr Tanvir Shaikh, Fahad's father, confirmed the news of his death, saying his wife received a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) call from an unknown number on Tuesday. "The person didn't reveal his name but confirmed Fahad's death. We have informed the NIA and ATS about the news," he said. Fahad reportedly died in Syria. Iftikar Khan, a family member, said the call came around 3 pm on Tuesday. "Fahad's mother attended the call. The caller said Fahad died around four to five days ago. The family believed the caller as they had received such calls and messages from similar numbers and Fahad, too, had call them earlier. They informed the investigation agencies about all of this. The family was not expecting any good news, as the situation in the country was bad and returning would have been a miracle."
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