Dear,........,
Hello. Yesterday, I mentioned that Pakistan planned the embedding of their nationals in Kashmiri homes in early 1965. And then luckily the administration also came to know by accident that there was infiltration. Here in an interesting account of how they came to know of it.
It was probably the month of August 1965. The
month also coincided with Muslim fasting called Ramzan. Those days, we in All India Radio Srinagar, would have a special Sehri Programme early in the morning for Muslim
devotees. We used to have an overnight shift at Transmitter and Studio center.
The shift would be from 5 PM to the next day at 11 AM. That was two day's duty.
I had finished my duty at the transmitter station and just happened to pass
through the Studio Centre control room. Just then I found a couple of programme and
engineering staff packing recording equipment for taking out for recording. I
asked them about the details of the recording just out of curiosity. I was told
that the security forces had caught a terrorist and they were going to record
him. I decided to go with them to see how a terrorist looked.
All of us next herded into the office jeep and were taken to a house on the banks of the Dal Lake (Called Boulevard Road). The place was a short distance away from Nehru Park. It was the residence of the then Chief Minister Shri G.M.Sadiq. There we found that a shamiana had been erected on the lawn outside the house. A stage had been erected under the shamiana (tent) and about fifty chairs arranged in rows in front of the stage. We noticed that there were a good number of News correspondents including from the Foreign Press seated on these chairs. At that point, we could understand that this was something like a press conference. Near the stage, we noticed one, around 40-year-old Gujar with the typical dress and headdress. We thought that probably he was the terrorist but he was neither hand-cuffed nor chained. Next to him was another man looking like a normal non-Kashmiri person with red blood eyes (he appeared to be drunk at that time). A little distance away we saw a Kashmiri person around 30 years old looking like a gentleman sitting on a chair. We put our mikes etc. on the stands and connected the equipment for recording. Everyone was waiting and looking at the Chief Minister's house doors for him to appear for the press conference.
Wait over, the Chief Minister followed by a crowd of officers came out of the door. He was made to sit on the stage. Simultaneously one typed sheet of paper was handed over to each of the correspondents. We also got a sheet. The sheet contained a story. One officer got up and read the story from the paper. The story went like this. "There was one Din Mahmud who was a shepherd. (He pointed to the gujjar) He was grazing his sheep on the high reaches in an area near the town of Kangan. Just then, some four people all loaded up with big bags came from nowhere and approached him. They wanted cigarettes from him. He did not have any. They abused him and kicked him to make him fear them. Then he was given Rs. 100/- INR. He was asked to go down to the town and buy cigarettes for them. He came down the slopes and reached the town shop. He informed the shopkeeper that there were some intruders and he needed to inform the authorities. An Intelligence office person in plain clothes happened to be near the shop at that moment. The shopkeeper called him and then made the shepherd repeat the story to him. He questioned him and got all the details (He pointed to the drunk looking person seated on the chair as the intelligence office person) The intelligence office person informed his boss a DSP in District headquarters though telephone. (He pointed to the 30 year old gentleman sitting on a chair on the dias as DSP) This DSP informed the army. The army organized a raid and engaged the four intruders by evening same day. The raiders happened to be terrorists from Pakistan." As per this introduction, the shepherd had on his own given the information to the intelligence office person.
After the narration was over, the three persons, Shepherd, Intelligence person and the DSP were introduced to the media. The correspondents questioned all three. When Din Mahmud the gujjar was asked about the incident, he corrected the above story thus. He said that when he reached the town and went to the shop, he handed over the 100 rupees note to the shopkeeper and asked for cigarettes. The shopkeeper asked him for the cigarette brand that he wanted to purchase. He replied to him that he did not know. Near the shop, the CID inspector happened to be there by chance. He also heard the exchange between the two. He suspected something unusual. He questioned the gujjar and the story unfolded. The fact that he had not given the information voluntarily to the intelligence man was apparent in his statement before the press.
In the evening, the Radio station
made a hero out of the Gujjar. It was made up that Din Mahmud was a staunch
nationalist, who sought out the CID inspector and told him the story. This Din
Mahmud was given a Padam Shri on 26 January 1996. He was accorded an honour at
Town Hall in Delhi. The CID Inspector and DSP were both promoted.
A year later in August 1966, I came on duty in Radio Control Room. I passed the VIP studio. There I found a tall man with a Jawahar Jacket, Long Muslim Kurta, Pajama and a karakuli cap on his head seated on a chair. He was waiting for the Director of Radio station Mr. N.L.Chowla to interview him. (Normally Director would interview only very important people. I, therefore thought that he must be some VIP) When I looked at him, I felt that I had seen him somewhere, but was not able to recollect. Just then the recording started. I heard his voice on the recording machine speaker. He was addressed in the interview as Jenab Din Mahmud Padam Shri. The interviewer asked him to narrate what had happened on that day. He in response told the government story word by word like a parrot.
This person lived like an aristocrat after this. It was only in 1990, that the Pakistani Terrorists barged into his house at the start of the insurgency and shot at him point-blank causing his instant death. He was probably the first Muslim who had spoken in favour of India, killed at the start of insurgency.
Fate is an important issue of life. Right person at the right time/wrong time and wrong person at wrong time/ right time can define the future for any person. The above true story proves that.
I mentioned karakuli cap in the above narration. This type of cap used to be worn only by very rich and moneyed people. It used to cost hundreds of rupees in 1960's when my three months salary would have to be spent to buy me one. The fur for that type of cap is got from a sheep baby cut open from the womb of its mother. The fur is curly. Usually, all political leaders used to wear such caps in Kashmir.
Bye for today.
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