Muslims help perform last rites of Kashmiri Pandit man in Tullamulla Ganderbal

Ganderbal 24 Dec.: Reviving the memories of the glorious traditions of communal harmony in Jammu and Kashmir and spreading a message of unity, hundreds of people, mostly Muslims, got together in the Tullamulla village of Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district to attend the funeral of a local Kashmiri Pandit who died on Saturday.

The Muslim community in the Tullamulla village helped perform the last rites of Bansi Lal (Kaka Ji) as per Hindu rituals.

The deceased was a great human being who would visit Muslims on the occasion of festivals and also whenever anyone among us would die. He was part and parcel of the composite culture and today, it is our duty to return the favour by ensuring his last rites are performed as per their religious rites,” said Manzoor Wani, Chairman Civil Society Tullamulla.

As news of Bansi Lal’s death came in, his neighbours spread the word about performing his last rites over different platforms which include social media in the entire area.

“This is true Kashmir; this is our culture and we share a brotherhood. We share composite culture. We performed his last rites. We condemn incidents which try to create differences between Hindus and Muslims. We live here in peace and harmony,” another local and lumberdar Tullamulla Manzoor Bhat said.

Kaka ji stayed back in the Valley in the nineties when most from the Kashmiri Pandit community were leaving the region.

Prem Nath a relative of Kaka Ji, while thanking the Muslims of Tullamulla, and Civil Society Tullamulla said that Kashmir is the best example of communal harmony, brotherhood and Pandits and Muslims share a great and strong bond that has been there for decades. “Today, Muslims of the area stood with us and participated in the last rites of Kaka Ji. They remained present till Kaka Ji was cremated,” he said, adding that “Muslims and Pandits are incomplete without each other.”