AGRA: Amid all the reports of anti-CAA violence in UP and other parts of the country, there was a brief moment of sanity and humanity. Last Friday, during protests across UP, a Muslim cleric Haji Qadir after performing his prayers at a local mosque in Firozabad district, braved the angry stone-pelters and saved an injured police constable’s life.
The 52-year-old man saved the cop, identified as Ajay Kumar, from the rampaging mob. He found Kumar in front of a mosque on NH-2. When the constable was again stopped a few distance away, the cleric asked the crowd to “kill him first if they want to throw stones at Kumar”. Qadir later took Kumar on his motorbike to the nearest police station in a “pathani suit to hide his identity”.
Speaking to on Friday, 42-year-old injured constable Ajay Kumar said, “I was heading for my duty on a motorbike when I was attacked by stone-pelters near Naini Glass Chouraha. Had Haji Qadir not intervened, I would have been lynched and probably stoned to death. Haji risked his life to save mine.”
Kumar suffered a fracture on his right-arm and was admitted in Agra hospital. He was discharged later. Constable Kumar of 1997 batch is currently posted in Uttar police jurisdiction and lives with his three children, including a daughter, at government accommodation in Dabrai. He hails from Bhimnagar village of Farah police jurisdiction of Mathura district.
The cleric was later invited by Kumar to his home, where he was thanked by the cop’s entire family.
Qadir told TOI, “While offering namaz at Mohammad Masjid, I saw a violent mob pelting stones at a man who was in police uniform. I rushed towards him and asked the men to leave the cop alone. Later, the constable was again attacked after he went a few metres, and I then asked the mob to ‘kill me first before lynching him’.”
“I took the policeman to my home, gave him a pathani suit to wear, and then drove him on a motorbike to Rasoolpur police station. As soon as we reached the police station, the mob started pelting stones at the station. Kumar then hid me inside the police station and saved my life as well. We both saved each other’s lives,” Qadir said.
For Qadir’s bravery, senior police officials, including SP Firozabad Sachindra Patel and IG Agra range Satish Ganesh, applauded Qadir for his “humane act”.
Source: Economic Times
