October 17, 2017

Her father used to ask her to become a Judge.

Anjum Saifi was just 4 years old when her father’s bullet-riddled body was brought home, in the year 1992.

Her father Rasheed Ahmad had stood up against extortionists in a market where his hardware shop was & had even led a protest seeking police protection.

One day when the goons were trying to extract money from a hawker, Ahmad once again stood up against them. He was gunned down in broad daylight.

Anjum has a faint memory of how her father used to ask her to become a Judge.

25 years later, on Friday, Anjum, now 29, wept as the dream that her father had seen for his only daughter among 5 sons got fulfilled. She saw her name in the successful candidates’ list of Civil Judge junior division exams declared by the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC).

Ever since the result was declared, the entire neighborhood has been in a celebratory mood, Anjum’s mother Hamida Begum said. Throughout the day, she kept telling friends & visitors, “I wish he was here to see it happen!”

Dilshad Ahmad, Anjum’s eldest brother who is now 40 & didn’t marry for he had to step into his father’s shoes, said, “The family went through a lot to see the realization of our dad’s dream. We faced unspeakable hardships all these years; it was a struggle at many fronts & monetary concerns were just a small part.”

An overwhelmed Hamida Begum added, “we had to even withdraw the case pertaining to his murder as our focus was to educate our children & not put their lives at risk. Today I am a content woman. The seed of values & principles that my husband had sown into my children has started yielding fruit.”

Anjum said that “My father died fighting for what was right. He wanted to change things for the better but the prevalent system didn’t allow him. My only aim has been to uphold his values & keep people’s faith in righteousness intact. Now god has given me the power to initiate that change & I’ll try to make a difference in whatever capacity I can. His sacrifice will not go waste.”