Srinagar, Feb. 4: While Naseeruddin Shah was portraying on Parzania’s sets a Gujarat father’s search for a son missing in the riots, Abdul Rasheed Beig was chronicling his own pain in black and white.

Today, the father of Fayaz Ahmad, who vanished 10 years ago, sat tense at his home in a Srinagar lane.

Ever since the fake encounter racket involving senior superintendent of police Hansraj Parihar unfolded, the family’s mood has kept swinging between horror and a strange sense of relief.

Horror, because they fear Fayaz’s body may now be found any day in an unclaimed grave, like the five bodies exhumed so far. And relief, because such a discovery would end their painful, 10-year wait, allowing a proper burial for their son.

“Parihar told me my son is alive and would return home but now I think…’’ Beig broke down sobbing.

He recovered to say: “Parihar should be interrogated so that he gives us the whereabouts of our son, whether he is alive or not.”

Beig recently published a booklet, The Custodial Disappearance and the Unconcerned Government, documenting his family’s plight.

Fayaz, a photographer at Kashmir University, was taken away from the campus by Parihar’s team. Over the last 10 years, the family has run from the politicians to police, judiciary to media.

The state rights commission asked the government to register a case against Parihar and his team for “conspiracy to do away with the victim’’. The high court ordered a criminal case to be filed.

But instead of facing action, Parihar rose through the ranks. Three months ago, he was promoted to SSP. “Around two years back, he was shifted to Ganderbal at the behest of the local minister. It was there he got the promotion,’’ Beig said.

Police sources cited several other custody disappearances during his stint as deputy SP (operations), Awantipora, and SP Kulgam.

Official sources said fake encounters also involve the army and BSF. FIR 52, 2006, accuses 13 Rashtriya Rifles in the killing of Ghulam Nabi Wani and FIR 25, 2006, points the finger at 24 RR in the murder of Ali Mohammad Padder. They are among the five exhumed.