Lucknow: After filing another mercy plea to the Governor, the death row convict Shabnam has thrown yet another spanner to delay her hanging. Claiming innocence, she demanded CBI inquiry into the 2008 Amroha massacre after meeting her 12-year-old son Taj Mohammed in Rampur jail on Sunday.
Usman, Taj’s foster father who is raising him, took her son to Rampur jail again for a meeting between the mother-son. After meeting his convicted mother facing the death sentence, Taj told media persons that he did not want his mother to be hanged.
"I have already sent a mercy petition to the President requesting him to forgive his mother and set her free,” Taj said, adding that his mother has asked him to study hard to become a big and good man.
Earlier, Taj had met his mother on January 21.
Usman, who was Shabnam’s classmate, claimed that during their meeting, Shabnam told that she was innocent and demanded a CBI probe into the April 2008 Bawankheri Village massacre in which seven of her family members, including parents were slaughtered.
When asked why she was claiming innocence and demanding CBI inquiry now, Usman clarified that she always maintained that she was innocent but her pleas were never heard and she was framed with Salim of killing her own family members.
"Shabnam is not a freedom fighter nor has guts like Bhagat Singh. She is scared after media reports of her hanging. Shabnam told us that she wanted justice,” he said, adding that he took Taj to console both mother and son who are living under fear after news of her possible hanging.
