War hero brings communities together

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NAGPUR: The legendary Abdul Hamid had once sent Pakistan's so-called invincible Patton tanks up in flames at the border before succumbing to his injuries. Four-and-half decades after his supreme sacrifice, the company quartermaster of 4 Grenadiers of Indian Army was remembered again for averting a crisis arising out of internal strife.

Trustees of Hindu temples and Imams and other prominent members from Muslim community came together for bhoomipujan for construction of a gate to be erected in memory of Hamid, a Param Vir Chakra recipient, in Mominpura. A couple of hours before the verdict of the Ayodhya title suit was deferred by the Supreme Court on Thursday, members of the two communities came together to conduct the puja.

RJD (Lok Manch) corporator Siraj Ahmed, at whose initiative the gate is being built, said that an appeal for peace and harmony would be made at mosques after the Friday prayers. "Inshallah, we will pray to the Almighty that the bonding among all communities continues," said Ahmed.

"Our aim was to highlight Hamid's sacrifice and direct the focus of all towards serving the country and not any community. The proposal for the memorial gate was already in place. We planned it for Thursday as the message would come out stronger," said Siddique Ali Khan Patel, president of the Bharatiya Muslim Samaj.

Patel informed that several religious leaders from well-known mosques were present at the puja.

"I feel that our coming together for the verdict should not remain restricted to just one occasion but should stretch beyond," said Patel adding that assembling before the Ayodhya verdict day was just another initiative to remain alert and not be misled.

Umesh Sharma, a prominent member of the organizing committee for Ram Navami Shobhayatra, said that Indians should follow the high ideals of the secularism embedded in the Constitution. "Peace and solidarity for each other should prevail in country irrespective of court decision. Nagpur has a history of communal harmony. The rest of the country should respect our city for the legacy of peace that thrives among the community," said Sharma.

Gurdeep Singh Arora, another member of the Poddareshwar Ram Mandir committee, said that he made a spontaneous decision to attend the puja. Brij Bhusan Shukla, member of the Badrinarayan Temple Trust, said his friend's efforts Atique Quereshi to bring people from different communities together on a platform in the memory of a martyr to foster harmony had borne fruit.