Sohrabuddin case: I may never walk without fear, says brother Rubabuddin

Rubabuddin, brother of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, was in the city for personal reasons and for some legal work.

It was on Rubabuddin's petition accusing the Gujarat police of killing his brother in a fake encounter, that the Supreme Court directed the state CID to investigate the encounter and later transferred the case to the CBI.

He is now one of the key witnesses in the case and is always escorted by two gunmen for his protection. In an interview to DNA over the phone, Rubabuddin talked about the impact on his own life of being under pressure round the clock, and the kind of life he expects to live after his quest for justice is over.

"I don't know what kind of life awaits me after the case is over," Rubabuddin said. "But I am sure that the case and its consequences will never let me be what I was earlier - a free and independent farmer. I am always under threat of physical harm which is why two gunmen always accompany me for my protection. I doubt that I will ever walk without fear. My five-year-old son is the one who is most terrified by the developments in the case."

Rubabuddin could not have much education. He said that after passing class 10, he met with a terrible accident which left him bedridden for three years. He could not take up studies after the accident, but he understands the value of education. Good general knowledge and a good knowledge of history are a must for every individual, he said.

"I find Vladimir Ilyich Lenin inspiring," Rubabuddin said over the phone. "He ended the rule of the oppressive czars in Russia. But as a person, I am more like peace-loving Yudhisthir, the eldest of the Pandavas. Yudhishtir was willing to settle with the Kauravas for only five villages to prevent a war between the cousins."

He said he once had five brothers when Sohrabuddin was alive.

Back in Jharaniya village in Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh, which is his native place, he is still the member of a joint family that owns around three bighas of land. A guard protects his home in the village, too, but he is worried about the shadow of fear that has been cast on his life, perhaps for all time.

"However, I have full faith in our judiciary. Whatever has been achieved is because of our fair and honest judiciary," he said.