In a very heartwarming gesture, three youths from Sikh community helped 32 Kashmiri girls to reach their homes in Kashmir. A software engineer from Delhi, Harminder Singh Ahluwalia, after scrapping of Article 370 from the valley, did a live stream on facebook. In the live stream, he promised to help Kashmiris who need help. Later, two more Sikh men joined the mission.
Almost a group of 32 Kashmiri girls who came to pursue a nursing course in Pune were stranded and were clueless about returning to their homes in Kashmir, due to the lockdown after the scrapping of Article 370.
The girls who came to pursue the nursing course under the government run Skill India belonged to underprivileged families from theShopian, Baramullah , Badgham and Uri sector. As the Kashmir valley was totally cut off and there were no means of communication to reach to their parents as the internet and mobile services were suspended, the girls and their team manager were stranded in Pune not knowing how to go back home. It was their first trip out of their homes and the memories of the assault on Kashmiri students post Pulwama attack stopped them from going out ask anyone to help. Recounting this, the 32 girls from the valley did not step out to reveal their identity.
But all thanks to the Sikh social activist Harminder Singh Ahluwalia and Baljeet Singh Babbu. The Delhi-based social activist posted a video on the Facebook saying that any Kashmiri in distress could contact the nearest Gurudwara for help. Seeing this, the girls ‘supervisor Rukaya reached out to Harminder Singh Ahluwalia seeking help. The social activist swung into action to help the girls in distress. with the help of the Gurdwara and friends, he collected money to buy their flight tickets to Kashmir. They managed to collect Rs3.20 lakhs for the flight tickets to send the girls back to their homes.
Accompanied by the social activist and the supervisor for the girls, the girls were flown out to Srinagar and were reunited to their parents. Videos of the reunions reflected the desperation among parents to see their girls. If mothers could not stop kissing ttheir daughters, their fathers were profusely thanking the three Sikh activists and Rukaya.
“Kashmiri women are part of our society. It is our religious duty to defend their honour. Sikhs should come forward to protect the honour of Kashmiri women. It is our duty and it is our history,” said Harminder Singh Ahluwalia