Tabassum, who works as a nurse at a private hospital, said that a year before their marriage in 1997 Afzal had started a small business of medicines and surgical instruments in Kashmir.
“But he was constantly harassed to work as a spy. One Major Ram Mohan Roy of 22 Rashtriya Rifles tortured Afzal, giving electric shocks...., humiliating and abusing him to the hilt. My husband just wanted to live a normal life,” she said.
The widow alleged that Afzal was regularly picked up, taken to camps and tortured without rhyme and reason. "By now, the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir police had taken over the anti-militancy operations.
"They took him to Palhalan Pattan and later Humhama near Srinagar airport"
Tabassum alleged that two deputy superintendents Vinay Gupta and Davinder Singh demanded Rs1 lakh for his release.
"I had to sell the little gold ornaments I had to make his release possible,” she said.
She alleged that Afzal was tortured while in custody of SOG.
“Why was he called to the camps repeatedly and tortured? One may think he was in militancy. But he had long surrendered and was trying to live a normal life. They wanted to make him an informer. By turning people into informers, they turn brother against brother, wife against husband and children against parents,” alleged Tabassum.
