NEYAZ ELAHI / MEER IRFAN
Shopian: Fellow Muslim villagers of a deceased local Pandit amid massive snowfall travelled by foot miles together to shoulder the dead body to its final destination in South Kashmir’s Shopian district.
Sources told News Agency Kashmir news Trust that 60 year old Kashmir Pandit Bhaskar Nath, who was getting treatment at SKIMS Srinagar died of kidney failure today.
The dead body was supposed to be taken to the native Pargochi village of Shopian in an ambulance. However, due to massive snowfall, the ambulance got stuck at a location in Shopian that was 10 kilometers away from the Pargochi village.
“The ambulance driver called one of the family members on phone who informed the local Muslims. The local Muslims amid inclement weather walked on foot and brought the dead body on their shoulders. Due to snowfall, the road was not motorable so we brought the dead body to Pargochi village on our shoulders,” said a local Muslim Fayaz Ahmed to KNT.
The locals made all arrangements and amid snowfall the deceased local Pandit was cremated as per the Hindu rituals.
The deceased is survived by a son and 2 daughters. He stayed back when majority of the Kashmiri Pandits migrated in 1990’s after the eruption of freedom movement in Kashmir.
“We are overwhelmed and can’t express my love and affection for my local Muslim brothers,” said one of the relatives of deceased Bhaskar Nath.
This is not an isolated incident. Muslims in Kashmir Valley always shared grief of local Pandits and set examples of brotherhood off and on. (KNT)