In their search for Kausar Bi, the Sheikh family had knocked on every possible door: the PMO, National Human Rights Commission, offices of chief ministers and state human rights commissions in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, National Commission for Women and even the State Minorities Commission in MP.

If the paper trail is anything to go by, the Gujarat government simply did not bother to respond to any correspondence from the family till its admission in the Supreme Court on Friday that it was not sure whether she was alive.

The authorities in Rajasthan wrote to the family saying the matter concerns Gujarat and it should be taken up with that state because the incident took place there. There were directions from the offices of the MP chief minister and NCW for submitting time-bound action taken reports but the family never received any further communication.

“We are almost certain about Kausar Bi’s fate now but at least Tulsiram’s life could have been saved had these directions been acted upon,” Rubabuddin Sheikh, who wrote and posted most of these complaints, told The Indian Express on Friday.

Kausar Bi, 36, who lived in Ujjain’s Mirzawadi locality, had married Sohrabuddin in 2004.

While her parents are too scared to pursue her disappearance, the Sheikhs are determined to take their fight to the logical end.

This is what the Sheikh family got to hear in response to its applications about the fake encounter and Bi’s disappearance.

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