(This story originally appeared in on Dec 29, 2015)

A city-based Indian national will face the firing squad for killing his 24-year old wife in Dubai in 2013. Atif Popere and an accomplice were convicted by a local court for killing Popere's wife Bushra. The highest court in Dubai rejected his appeal last week. As per local law, his only hope is a mercy plea from the victim's family, which can commute the death sentence to life.

Uma Dhananjayan, Bushra's mother says that will not happen. "I have not received any communication so far but if and when I do, I want to reject any mercy for him," she said speaking to the Mirror from Kerala. Popere met Mini Dhananjayan when she was studying at a Matunga college. The two fell in love and were married in 2008. She identified herself as Bushra after her marriage, and the couple had a daughter in 2009.

Popere moved to Dubai first to work as a shop manager and Bushra followed two years after their daughter was born. When their daughter was three, she was sent to Raigad district to live with Popere's parents.

In 2013, Popere's parents called Nigil, Bushra's brother, who lived near Dubai, asking after her whereabouts. Nigil too had not been able to get in touch with Bushra for a few days. "On receiving the phone call, my son travelled to Dubai. The next day, March 13, he was told by police that Bushra's body had been found dumped in the Al Fuqaa area. The post mortem report showed that she had been strangled," said Uma.

Uma, who lived in Dombivali with her son and daughter, . before Bushra's marriage. She shifted to Kerala after the two left for Dubai. She says she has no idea what drove Popere to kill her daughter. "My daughter never told me if there were any disputes in her marriage. But I knew she was facing abuse from her in-laws," she said. "After my daughter's death, I have only lived to watch him get punished for what he did," she added. The Dubai prosecutors had highlighted the constant fights the couple were having.

Popere who had been missing since Bushra's body was recovered, had fled to India with help from his accomplice and had then eventually travelled back to UAE and surrendered in June 2013. Both Popere and his accomplice had pled not guilty before in September 2013. In October, the Court of Appeal rejected their appeal to commute the death sentence to life. Their appeal before the Dubai Court of Cassation was also rejected.

Bushra's family is now fighting for her sixyear old daughter's custody with the dispute pending before the Bombay High Court. "We appreciate the Supreme Court in Dubai for having done justice by confirming the death sentence of the accused person in the face of overwhelming evidence against him. I now hope the courts in India would do justice and honour the victim's memory by giving her daughter's custody to her mother," said Abraham Mathai, former vice-chairman of the Minorities Commission.

A relative of Atif Popere said that the Popere family wasn't informed by the Dubai authorities. "They heard about the incident through the media. The family's condition is not such that they can go to Dubai. They have also not approached any authorities so far to stop the execution."

