Jajmau fights terror tag, says we are not terrorists

KANPUR: Sartaj Ahmad, father of the slain suspected terrorist Saifullah, had braced himself to receive the bad news ever since his youngest son ran away from home after being scolded and beaten up by him about two months ago. He never imagined that death would snatch away Saifullah from the family forever.
Saifullah's brother Khalid told TOI that sufferings in his family started with the demonetisation."First, my younger brother Habeeb, a tannery worker, was rendered jobless. Now, he runs a tea kiosk. Saifullah, who used to work in a shop was sacked by his employer. During that period, he used to loiter around in the area. My father had scolded and even beaten him for not finding work," he said.
Situated on the banks of the Ganga, Jajmau Tila, which dots Manohar Nagar, the locality of Saifullah's family, is not like a terror neighbourhood. There are no armed men equipped with automatic weapons and police barricades or checkposts. Yet, the oldest inhabited locality since Saifullah's encounter is being called the nursery of terror. Barely a few metres from where Saifullah lived, one Quddus is livid. "Mere do jawan ladke hain, dono tannery mein mehnat aur imandaari se kaam karte hain. Hum saare log Aatankwadi nahi hain (I have two sons who are working hard and honestly in a tannery. We all are not terrorists)," says Quddus. "Only a miniscule like Saifullah, Danish, Faisal and Gouse have gone into a world of terror which has given Jajmau this tag," he said. Quddus and others are interacting with reporters to clear Jajmau's terror tag.