Achievers
‘Studied at gate of Tihar Jail’: Daughter Sama tops CBSE exams, jailed father Shabir Shah unaware
While Shabir Shah, the founder and president of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) stays imprisoned in Tihar jail with his deteriorating health, his daughter Sama has topped the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 examination in Jammu and Kashmir.
Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Shah, a Kashmiri Hurriyat leader, claiming that he was involved in a money laundering case.
“His absence from home is traumatising for the family,” says his daughter, Sama Shabir Shah, who has secured 97.8 percent (489 marks) in CBSE examinations.
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Student of Delhi Public School, Athwajan, Sama says, “Tihar is literally the worst jail in India. I have been to many jails but where he has been kept is the worst. I would study there at the gate as we kept waiting to see him. The past one year we went through tremendous emotional trauma.”
However, Shah has been a role model to her. “He has been a source of inspiration. I would be broken but then I thought If he is in for 31 years and fighting, I should also do something to make him feel proud. My strong mother and hard work helped me achieve this goal,” she says.
Mother Dr Bilques has been busy with visitors all day long. However, she wished Sama could have her father around on the happy occasion.
“People are coming to our place and congratulating our daughter. The worst part is that he doesn’t know that his daughter has topped. Unless and until someone goes and tells him, he will not know,” says Dr Bilques Shah, his wife.
The hearing of Shah’s case is on June 5.
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