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Amid mob attacks in Jammu recently, scores of Sikh saviours had come riding on Bullet bikes to the rescue of many Kashmiris in Gujjar Nagar. For eight hours straight, Azhar, Mansoor and Nadeem had locked themselves inside a public toilet, from where they witnessed their four-wheelers being shattered into pieces by angry mobs chanting: “Bharat […]

Amid mob attacks in Jammu recently, scores of Sikh saviours had come riding on Bullet bikes to the rescue of many Kashmiris in Gujjar Nagar.

For eight hours straight, Azhar, Mansoor and Nadeem had locked themselves inside a public toilet, from where they witnessed their four-wheelers being shattered into pieces by angry mobs chanting: “Bharat maata ki jai”, “Kashmiriyo ko zinda jalaao”, “Gaddaaro wapas jaao.”

It was the night of February 15, just a day after Jaish-e-Mohammad’s local recruit Aadil Ahmad Dar alias Waqas Commando carried out a deadly suicide attack claiming as many as 49 CRPF personnel in south Kashmir’s Pulwama.

As entire India collectively burnt in rage, Kashmiris outside the valley became soft-targets for what the country called Revenge.

While “genocide of Kashmiris, war with Pakistan” became one of the most-spoken narratives, there was no hope for the trio – Azhar, Mansoor and Nadeem – other than running for their lives.

“Allah ke karam se bach gaye ham buss (God saved us),” Azhar said, and looked at Mansoor, who added: “Allah, aur hamaare Sikh bhai (Allah, and our Sikh brethren).”

These Sikhs who came riding on 20 Bullet bikes on the spot, to rescue the trio from the angry mob that was more than 200 in number, according to Azhar.

Although targeted harassment of Kashmiris outside the valley was one of the most-reported subjects that day, yet, hundreds of incidents still remain unreported – the story of Azhar, Mansoor and Nadeem, is one such case.

Locked inside the washroom for about 8 hours, the trio had witnessed every bit of the attack on their parked four-wheelers – from the first hit on the front mirror to the attempts of torching.

“But anyway, money isn’t more important than life. Had our Sikh brothers not come to our rescue, who knows what would have happened to us?” Azhar says. “We’re alive today because of our Sikh brothers in Jammu.”

Touched by the gesture of “unknown” Sikh men, Asif loudly declared: “I swear to Allah if someone ever attacks them in Kashmir, and even if that person happens to be my real brother, I will chop his head off!”

– freepresskashmir.com