10 years of Naushad Kashimji murder case: A crime that made the victim immortal, inspired several
While gunning down Mangaluru-based lawyer Naushad Kashimji on April 9, 2009, his killers must have thought that this act would strike terror within the activists fighting for social justice and human rights and one particular community, especially amongst its youth. That it would deter those who’d dare to follow in the footsteps of their dearly loved lawyer – instilling in them the fear of an untimely and abrupt end. But, Naushad’s death seems to have worked to achieve the opposite, as 10 years into his killing, many youngsters are on their way to fight for justice, or to become a Naushad in their own right.
Mangaluru: On the eve of April 9, 2009, one of the most prominent criminal lawyers of the town Naushad Kashimji was gunned down at his apartment’s basement in Falnir of Mangaluru.
Naushad, hailing from coastal town of Bhatkal and practicing law in Mangaluru, was a human rights lawyer who regularly contested against social injustice and police atrocities and hence raised to prominence in the profession at a very young age much like his senior advocate Purushottam Poojary who trained him.
At the time of his murder Naushad was handling the case of Abdul Rasheed Hassan (Malbari) wherein he had opposed the police custody as sought by Ullal police. According to Purushottam Poojary this was the flashpoint of Naushad’s murder as he named four police officers as accused of the murder in a complaint. Purushottam claimed that Naushad had informed about threats he received by the police officers on the day of his murder. The court however did not consider the allegations and quashed it.
Several NGOs, Lawyers’ fraternity, his community men in Bhatkal all joined in to protest against the brutal murder, which had in many ways changed things in the coastal Karnataka.
Years after the legal struggle of Purushottam Poojary, Advocate Sameer Kashimji (Naushad’s brother) and Advocate Nusrath Jahan (wife of Naushad Kashimji) Mangaluru Sessions Court in November 2015 convicted five people in the case and handed life imprisonment to three of them and seven years rigorous imprisonment to the other two, while the look-out for mastermind of the murder Ravi Poojary continued.
The Karnataka High court in August 2018, acquitted all the five citing lack of concrete evidence in the case.
Ten years after the murder Naushad brother Sameer and Naushad’s wife Nusrath Jahan continue to practice law in Mangaluru, while Purushottam Poojary passed away in May 2014.
A decade later Sameer feels his brother’s sacrifice did not go waste and it is paying off. Speaking to Vartha Bharati on Tuesday, April 9 Sameer did not speak about the emotional aspect of the murder of his brother but stressed upon the change it has brought in the society.
“Naushad fought against social injustice and police atrocities. And his murder was shocking for everybody who cares about human rights. His murder brought in a lot of change in the society and mindset of youngsters as several students started adventuring into legal profession to work like Naushad did. They all want to become Naushad, they all dream and aspire of serving the society. That is something I look at and feel that the sacrifices he made is reaping fruits for the betterment of society. We need more such lawyers in this profession who can fight for the suppressed people. And if not after Naushad’s murder I don’t really think the numbers (especially in the Bhatkal community) of young lawyers would increase over the years” Sameer said.
“It’s been ten years now and yes it is still disturbing at the personal front for all of us” Sameer added.
Sameer says there are several others in his home town who want to practice law like Naushad. In short, for those who conspired to see Naushad dead, he might be long dead and gone. But for dozens of Muslim youth across the country, Naushad abhi bhi zinda hai (Naushad is still alive). His community has proudly given him the status of Shaheed (Martryr) and Naushad lives to inspire them.
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J&K tower over Karnataka to clinch maiden Ranji Trophy title
Hubballi (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir scripted an extraordinary tale of resilience in Indian domestic cricket to claim their maiden Ranji Trophy title by out-batting traditional heavyweights Karnataka here on Saturday, capping a glorious season that saw them tackle favourites and fellow upstarts with equal tact and confidence.
The bald facts will tell that Jammu and Kashmir held the eight-time former champions to a draw punctuated by a 291-run first innings lead to lock the crown, an advantage they extended to 633 runs after scoring 342/4 in their second innings on the fifth and final day here.
Opener Qamran Iqbal's second first-class hundred (160 not out) and Sahil Lotra's maiden first-class ton (101 not out) added sheen to the historical occasion.
But the day was always meant to be more than just cold numbers, it was meant to tell the story of determination and the power of a dream that was more than six decades in the making.
It was 67 years ago when Jammu and Kashmir made their debut in India's premier domestic competition, which is now 92 years old.
In the past, J&K had entered the quarterfinals in 2013-14, 2019-20 and 2024-25 seasons but succumbed to a train of cataclysmic events and their own frayed nerves.
But over the last five days here at the KSCA Stadium, they hardly resembled first-time final entrants, out-maneuvering a side brimming with India stars with consummate ease.
That Karnataka failed to take a single wicket on the fifth day after J&K resumed from overnight 186 for four will reinforce the dominance of the tourists in the final.
It was a team effort in its truest sense that led the lesser fancied side to the title.
Pacer Auqib Nabi was a towering presence in the final as he has been throughout this season, taking five wickets for the seventh time this season.
Lotra made a fifty and hundred, skipper Paras Dogra, who became the second batter to go past 10,000 Ranji Trophy runs, while Yawer Hassan, Abdul Samad and Kanhaiya Wadhawan made one half-century each.
They are not household names, perhaps, even in their own state. But this humble bunch produced a magnificent joint effort across 10 Ranji matches in the season that would put a blush on Atlas' face.
After the current season began in silence in Srinagar following a whipping by Mumbai, Jammu and Kashmir's glorious journey towards the title clash unfurled like a slow-breaking wave.
And nothing encapsulated J&K's spirit better than the semifinal against Bengal at Kalyani.
Unlike in the final against Karnataka, they were thrown into turmoil after Bengal took the first-innings lead -- small yet good enough to serve their purpose.
But Nabi bowled them back to contention, masterminding Bengal's dismissal for 88 in the second innings. It, perhaps, made the J&K players aware of the awaiting destiny in Hubballi.
They embraced it gleefully.
Shubham Pundir scored a classy hundred, the foundation for J&K's massive first innings total of 584 and the visitors hardly let the advantage slip.
Karnataka themselves had shown remarkable consistency since the beginning of the season, and a ninth Ranji Trophy title was taken for granted.
It was not a wrong notion either on account of their form and skill levels.
But the unsuspecting domestic heavyweight was swept off its feet by a flyweight, not by a knockout punch but by tactical superiority and game awareness.
Karnataka will ponder over the next few days where it all went wrong for them in the title clash, and nothing conveyed the dejection in their hearts than the sight of KL Rahul bowling a few overs.
Harsh views will be exchanged in the boardroom, and a few heads will roll.
But for now, the incredibly feel-good news of a J&K victory will cut across the entrenched lines of the territories socio-economic and political spheres.
We might just have witnessed the breaking down of some barriers at the sun-kissed Hubballi stadium, holding the power to move a whole new generation of youngsters to cricket and to sport in general.
Perhaps, there will be an infrastructure upswing in the area, as Nabi hoped during a recent chat with PTI -- a cricket stadium in every district.
The historic moment came at 2.10pm, when both the skippers sitting inside a freshly-painted but modest dressing room here agreed to shake hands, sending the J&K camp into delirium.
There will be chaos within the team and across the snow-clad region, now. But this time, it will be more joyous in nature.
