Amarnath terror strike: Driver Salim Sheikh ensured the safety of more than 50 pilgrims

[anant_s]

Amarnath terror strike: Driver Salim Sheikh ensured the safety of more than 50 pilgrims on attacked bus

Salim Sheikh, the brave driver of the bus of Amarnath pilgrims that was attacked on Monday (Photo: ANI)

NEW DELHI: But for Gujarat's Salim Sheikh, there would have been a lot more than seven victims in Monday's terror attack on a bus of Amarnath pilgrims+ in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sometime after 8:30 pm on Monday, as soon as he heard a hail of bullets on the side of the bus, the driver Salim decided on the spur of the moment that the safest and the most prudent thing to do is to drive on and not let any more bullets in.

"God gave me strength to keep moving, and I just did not stop," said Salim to ANI on Tuesday.

Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani on Monday acknowledged Salim's role and said he would nominate him for a bravery award.

"He told me that he did not stop there when terrorists fired, only looked for a safer spot for pilgrims," said Salim's cousin Javed Mirza, a resident of Valsad in Gujarat, to ANI.

Javed said he was proud of his cousin.

"He couldn't save seven lives, but managed to move 50 people to a safe place, I'm proud of him," Javed added. Reports said they were some 60 passengers on the bus.

Salim informed his cousin about the attack in a phone call around 9:30 pm on Monday.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 14 others injured when terrorists opened fire on the bus near Batengoo in J&K's Anantnag district on Monday.

"Want to thank bus driver, Salim for saving lives of people when there was firing going. Will nominate his name for bravery award," said Gujarat CM Rupani.

The terror attack on Amaranth yatra pilgrims on Monday was carried out by the Lashkar-e-Taiba and was masterminded by a Pakistani terrorist Ismail+ , said Jammu and Kashmir's inspector general of police Muneer Khan to ANI news agency, on Tuesday.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...rims-on-attacked-bus/articleshow/59542658.cms

 

[Chanakyaa]

Lets not give him undue credit, he was trying to save himself as well.

Well, I think that was really low. May be you can say, a soldier too dies coz he gets a payment/salary to do so ? isnt it ?

He did what he had to do, without loosing his nerves.
That ws an excellent work. he was the differece between 7 and 57 !

Take it this wasy, he was ALREADY in danger the moment he took his job as a driver for that yatra. There are many other jobs that are far far less dangerous.

 

[Amjad Miandad]

Feel sorry for the poor souls, may Almighty bless them here after. I fear it felt typical Indian sort of action which could now be blamed to anti Indian parties to gain benefits.

 

[Spring Onion]

Lets not give him undue credit, he was trying to save himself as well.

Yeh please put some beef in his pockets and lynch this Indian Muslim driver .

 

[GodToons]

I differ from the post opinion that driver is hero. Normally in such cases:
1. Driver is killed so that terrorists can kill more people.
2. It was frontal attack, while people get hits this guy escapes miraculously. Need investigation
3. Why, despite the cut-off time, he agreed to drive the vehicle without police escort?

So many loop holes in the story, this needs to corroborated with passengers before making him a hero... IMO

 

[Rollno21]

Lets not give him undue credit, he was trying to save himself as well.

Ok in the process dint he save 50 others ,that's saving life's of others to me

Yeh please put some beef in his pockets and lynch this Indian Muslim driver .

Change should come with in ,we will guide him to the right path ,we will advice him and you can do the same to your country men about the attacks for just drinking water or attacking people if they eat during ramadhan.

 

[Spring Onion]

I differ from the post opinion that driver is hero. Normally in such cases:
1. Driver is killed so that terrorists can kill more people.
2. It was frontal attack, while people get hits this guy escapes miraculously. Need investigation
3. Why, despite the cut-off time, he agreed to drive the vehicle without police escort?

So many loop holes in the story, this needs to corroborated with passengers before making him a hero... IMO

Yeh yeh all Indian Muslims are atankwadi disloyal and enemies of Hindus.

 

[GodToons]

Yeh yeh all Indian Muslims are atankwadi disloyal and enemies of Hindus.

You seems like a poop. Did i mentioned religion here. This is standard SOP to verify before approving.

But yes I cannot deny 'your statement' for sure for our immediate neighbour

 

[third eye]

Lets not give him undue credit, he was trying to save himself as well.

Completely uncalled for & misplaced remarks.

 

[Chanakyaa]

Yeh yeh all Indian Muslims are atankwadi disloyal and enemies of Hindus.

Dont generalize his comment. Recently a Hindu was arrested as an LeT man. In India we capture and punish terrorists . not Hindus or Muslims.

 

[ChennaiDude]

Yeh please put some beef in his pockets and lynch this Indian Muslim driver .

Now Now...are you trying to Troll?...Sorry to bust your bubble he is an Indian first, only then a Muslim.

 

[SarthakGanguly]

Dont generalize his comment. Recently a Hindu was arrested as an LeT man. In India we capture and punish terrorists . not Hindus or Muslims.

Naah, he converted to Islam prior to that.
This phenomenon is pretty common.

 

[Sam.]

Of course he saved his brothers and sisters as he is the son of the soil. What's their to talk about?

 

[cloud_9]

The important thing is that their livelihood depends on pilgrims!

 

[cerilchan]

Brave men salute u