Twelve-year-old Taj does not know when he would be meeting his biological mother Shabnam of Amroha for the last time who has been given capital punishment along with her accomplice Saleem for hacking to death 7 members of her family in 2008.

Taj had visited Shabnam on January 20 this year in the Rampur jail where he doesn’t like to go, says Usman Saifi, who had got the custody of Taj in 2015. Saifi and Shabnam, who studied together in JS Hindu Postgraduate College of Amroha, often used to travel on the same bus and were known to each other.

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“That was in 2003 when we were studying, after graduating from college I became a journalist and Shabnam took up the job as a ‘Shiksha Mitra’ in a village school,” said Saifi adding that he came to know about Shabnam through the news about the murder of 7 of her family members on April 14, 2008.

Shockingly for him, Shabnam was accused of hacking 7 members of her family along with her lover Saleem in village Bawankheri of Amroha district.

Saleem was a labourer in a sawmill in the same village. Shabnam fell in love with him, but this relationship was not approved by the girl’s family. Due to this reason the duo committed this heinous crime.

The couple was arrested and sent to Moradabad jail. The trial started and later was moved to different jails. Shabnam is now in Rampur jail while Saleem is in Mathura jail. After a trial of 13 years, the duo has been sentenced to death by the court. The President of India has rejected their mercy petition.

“I wanted to write a book on Shabnam but she refused to meet me whenever I tried. Meanwhile, her son Taj, who was born in the jail turned 6 years of age and as per the jail manual he had to be moved out,” said Usman Saifi.

Jail Kalyan Samiti in 2015 had published a notice to give him in the custody of an appropriate couple. “It was then I decided to take custody of Taj and my wife too agreed to it,” said Saifi adding that he just thought of taking the child away from jail environment and give him a better life.

Dr BD Pandey, the then jailor of Moradabad Jail informed that the Jail Manual says that a child can stay in jail with mother or father or a guardian only up to the age of 6 years. After 6 years he or she had to be given in the custody of a couple through District Baal Kalyaan Samiti after following a set procedure of verification.

Dr Pandey said that out of interested couple we found Usman and his teacher wife Vandana Singh most appropriate and hence gave the custody of Taj to them.

Dr Pandey added that after much efforts Shabnam agreed to meet Saifi and his wife and the procedure of giving the boy in custody was completed. Initially she was not ready for this and wanted to give him to a fellow prisoner but later she agreed on being convinced for the betterment of her child.

Hence the couple, who got married in 2015, took the custody of the child in the same year. After every 3 months the Samiti renews custody of Taj and the last time it was renewed on January 20. It is the day when Taj went to meet his mother with the couple in jail.

This will continue till he is 18 years of age after which he will decide where he wants to stay, said Saifi who is determined to give Taj all the happiness in life.

When he came out of the jail, first Taj had put up three demands before me, said Saifi adding that he wanted to meet actor Salman Khan, eat icecream and wear a coat and pant. I fulfilled all three. Of course, we saw Salmaan Khan in his movie Bajrangi Bhaijan, he added.

Taj was admitted to a school and he is now in class 5th. “He is upset whenever he meets his mother as he does not like jail environment,” claimed Saifi who admitted that his upbringing is a challenge for him. But his wife is his biggest strength who always encourages him to face the hurdles of society.

“We always make it a point not to discuss Shabnam and jail with Taj,” he added. The couple has decided not to have their own child after taking his custody as they want to give their undivided love and attention to him.