Gesture of Parliament 'good message' for nation, says Saifullah's father

Slain terror suspect Saifullah's father Mohammed Sartaj expressed gratitude to the Parliament for acknowledging his refusal to accept his son's body, claiming it sent out a "good message".

In the Lok Sabha, Home Minister Rajnath Singh saluted Sartaj's decision amid thumping of desks by members of the House. "The government is proud of him (Sartaj) and I am sure Parliament too is," Singh said.

Reacting to the gesture, Saifullah said, "We thank them for this and it is a matter of happiness that they have acknowledged our decision. It is a good message for the country."

Also Read: Lucknow encounter | ISIS terrorist Saifullah's father: 'A traitor can't be my son, won't take his body'

"It is a big gesture to laud a small man's decision, and sends out a good message to all countrymen," Sartaj, who lives in Kanpur, told reporters. "A traitor cannot be my son, straight and simple," Sartaj had said about his son Saifullah, a suspected ISIS terrorist who was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday in Lucknow after a 12-hour gunfight.

Sartaj had refused to take Saifullah's body, saying, "A traitor cannot be related to me, let alone be my son."