Being Human: Kashmiri Muslims line up to save life of Hindu migrant laborer

Srinagar:  Entire area was shut and the condition of 18-year-old Rahul, a non-local laborer from Bihar was fast deteriorating.

His relative was stranded in Sopore and Rahul was not in a position to inform his neighborhood at Habak, Srinagar. Unable to see Rahul groaning with pain, his fellow worker gathered the courage to call his Muslim neighbors.

Without wasting a second, local neighbors arranged a vehicle and took Rahul to SKIMS Soura for treatment. “He couldn’t sit or even open his eyes. His face was pale due to the lack of treatment. We immediately took him to  SKIMS Soura,” a local, who accompanied Rahul to Hospital, said.

Rahul, a laborer from Bihar had arrived in Srinagar in March after spending six months in his hometown. After working for a few days, the lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rahul couldn’t return to Bihar and decided to stay put in his rented accommodation at Habak.

 “We called Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, who immediately responded and shifted Rahul to a private hospital for advanced treatment,” the locals said.

Doctors said the prompt action by locals saved Rahul’s life whose condition had deteriorated due to the high creatinine level in his blood.

“We had to immediately put him to dialysis. His blood urea and creatinine level was very high,” Dr Showkat Shah, who treated Rahul, told The Kashmir Monitor.

During treatment, at least 30 people volunteered to donate blood for Rahul. “Someone had uploaded on Facebook about the need for blood I got almost 30 calls from the people wanting to donate blood. We required only two pints of blood which was given by two volunteers. One pint of blood was arranged from GMC Srinagar,” he said.

Shah said that Rahul’s condition has improved considerably and will be discharged from the hospital. “By today or tomorrow we will discharge him since he has responded to the medicines and is doing well now,” he said.