MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): A 75-year-old truck driver from Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir, has died in an Indian Jail under mysterious circumstances, the deceased’s family confirmed.
Kashmir Digital learnt that the prisoner, identified as Syed Yousuf Hussain Shah, was arrested on July 21, 2017, on bogus charges of smuggling heroin and was serving a sentence in an Indian jail.
The deceased used to drive a truck carrying goods from Azad Kashmir to Indian occupied Kashmir under a bilateral Srinagar-Muzaffarabad truck and bus service, which was suspended by India in April 2019.
The Indian media outlet, ETV Bharat, reported that Yousuf Shah died last Tuesday in Agra Central Jail in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where he has been lodged since July 25, 2022.
“Indian jail authorities claimed that Shah complained of chest pain and was initially taken to the Central Jail Hospital, from where he was referred to SN Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead,” Indian media reported.
However, it was reported that Shah died due to poor hygiene conditions in the jail and inadequate medical care.
In a talk with Kashmir Digital’s correspondent, Shah’s son said that his father has been incarcerated in India for the past 8 years and “India violated all human rights by neither making us talk nor informing us about my father’s well-being”.
The Pakistani authorities have not yet been officially informed of the deceased’s death.
Talking to Kashmir Digital, the deceased’s son said that his father was expected to appear in a local Indian court on Monday. However, he stated that her father’s lawyer, Khawaja Tassaduq, was informed of his death when he appeared in court, seeking his presence.
