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The number of lives lost in the Anantnag terror attack could have been much more had it not been for Salim Sheikh, the bus driver who despite the ongoing firing saved several lives as he kept on driving the vehicle till he reached an army camp.
A reward of Rs 3 lakh has been announced for him in addition to a nomination for a bravery award by the Gujarat government.
“God gave me strength to keep moving, and I just did not stop,” Sheikh reportedly told the media. The first bullet flew over Sheikh’s head and hit a passenger. “The tyre burst, but I had no second thoughts about speeding away,” he added.
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Sheikh drove for two kilometers in the dark and did not stop till he reached an army camp. Although he could not see much, he slid down his seat and kept driving.
Appreciating Sheikh’s courage, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said that he would be nominated for the bravery award.
The J&K government and Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board announced rewards totaling Rs 5 lakh for Sheikh. The government will give him Rs 3 lakh while governor NN Vohra, as chairman of Sri Amarnathji Shrine Board, announced a special reward of Rs 2 lakh.
The incident had occurred at 8.20 pm between Baltal and Mir Bazar when the bus was heading back to Srinagar from Amarnath.
Seven people lost their lives in the Amarnath attack and 20 were injured, which took place in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ananthnag district as terrorists began firing on a bus carrying pilgrims from Gujarat.
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Salim has two sisters and four brothers all of whom are bus drivers. One of his brothers has been going to Amarnath for past 15 years and this was Salim’s fourth trip.
The bus was apparently on a different than the one usually taken for the Amarnath yatra.
Sheikh’s mother Raziya told the media that while she was proud of her son, she was pained for those people who lost their lives.
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