Meet 3 Kashmiri boys who defied death to save girls from drowning

SRINAGAR:  On a sunny afternoon, Wamiq Parvaiz was busy shooting a video when he saw a girl roaming around on a bridge in Baramulla.

Sensing trouble, he paused for a few minutes to check on the girl. Before he could gauge the danger, the girl jumped into Jhelum. 

Unable to locate anyone for help, he dived into the river unmindful of his own safety.

A class 10 student, Wamiq was not an experienced swimmer. He had never swam in Jhelum and it was the first time that he was feeling the gushing waters of the mighty river. 

“I have not been a great swimmer. It was a kind of reflex action that I dived into the river,” he told The Kashmir Monitor.

Since he was an amateur swimmer and wearing woolen clothes, it was getting hard to take her out of the deep waters. “She too was wearing heavy clothes. Her dresses were soaking in water and that was making her heavy. It was getting difficult to pull her out. Later shikrawalas too rushed in. After a lot of effort, we could take her out. We later shifted her to the hospital,” he said.

Son of a roadside vendor, Wamiq comes from a very humble family. In fact, bravery runs in his DNA.  Some years back, his father too had saved a girl from drowning. 

“My dad is a roadside vendor. Once a girl attempted suicide by jumping into the river. It was my dad who dived into the river and saved her life,” he said.

Earlier, two youth Saqib Ahmad Gojri and Sahil Ahmad War risked their lives and saved a girl from drowning in Baramulla.

Baramulla police felicitated three brave hearts with cash awards. “SSP Baramulla Amod Ashok Nagpure felicitated three local youth for showing bravery while saving 2 precious lives,” a police spokesman said.

 SSP Baramulla said such acts will of bravery inspire others to do more good for society.“Nation needs more brave hearts like these youth,” he said.

 Last month SSP Srinagar felicitated Khabeeb Muneer Dar and cop Niyaz Ahmed for saving the life of a woman who jumped into Jhelum from Nawa Kadal bridge.