The family of Ehtisham Bilal, the “missing” student of Greater Noida-based Sharda University, on Thursday staged a street protest at Lal Chowk in Srinagar and asked the Delhi police to provide details “if he was traced”.
The family claimed Mr. Bilal, a first-year student of Bachelor's in Medical Imaging Technology, was in Delhi on the day he went missing. “There were reports quoting police in Delhi that my nephew was traced in Srinagar. However, later the Station House Officer from Delhi denied the same when we asked him. If the police have any details, we request them to furnish the same and hand over him to us,” said Naseer Qureshi, the student’s uncle.
“He was in touch with his father all day on Sunday. He had gone for an outing to New Delhi and promised his father to send pictures of the places he visited on WhatsApp. His last message was that he was heading to a nearby metro station. His phone has been switched off since late Sunday afternoon,” said Mr. Qureshi.
Bilal Ahmad Sofi, father of the missing youth who lives in Srinagar’s Khanyar area, said he had deposited ₹5,000 in son’s bank account the same day (Sunday). “However, he had only withdrawn ₹400 that day,” said Mr. Sofi, who owns a shop in Srinagar. “We have no idea if any agency has picked him up. We want to know where our son is,” he added.
The family asked Governor Satya Pal Malik to intervene in the matter. “I sent my son to Delhi for studies. We appeal to the government to trace our child. We don’t have any clue yet. They don’t tell us exactly where he is. We appeal to Governor sahib to help us find our only child,” said Mr. Sofi.
Concern expressed
Former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have expressed concern over disappearance of the Kashmiri student.
Mr. Bilal was assaulted in clashes between two groups of students at Sharda University on October 4. “He was mistaken for an Afghan student on that day,” said another relative.
According to the police in Greater Noida, Mr. Bilal had booked a GoAir flight of October 28 from Delhi to Srinagar, and his last call was traced in Srinagar.
