Unity and amity in Hailakandi of Assam- Muslim reaches out to Hindu friend to transport pregnant wife to hospital amidst curfew. Baby boy named Shanti.
Hailakandi
When Hailakandi was in a volatile state with curfew in force on Sunday, Rubon Das was a worried man as his wife Nandita was writhing in labour pain and there was no 108 ambulance or other services around to take his wife from Rajyeshwarpur Part I village to the SK Roy Civil Hospital in Hailakandi town.
Rubon tried to convince his wife in excruciating labour pain that someone will come to their rescue. He made frantic calls to his near and dear ones and others seeking help. But there was none around. As time rolled by, his wife’s labour pain started increasing. Seeing her precarious condition, a helpless Rubon prayed hard that some good Samaritan will extend a helping hand to them and provide respite from the ordeal that they were undergoing.
Meanwhile, Rubon’s neighbour and friend Maqbool Hussain Laskar got the news and he rushed to the former’s residence. He volunteered to take his friend’s wife to the civil hospital. Putting his life at peril with curfew in force, Maqbool took out his auto rickshaw and took Rubon and his wife to the hospital, a few kilometers away from his village.
As Maqbool was on his way speeding along the deserted road, the only thing haunting him was whether he would make it on time to the hospital. Prayers were on his lips as he also tried to comfort both Rubon and his wife that everything will be fine and there was no need to panic. But Maqbool knew that he was defying the curfew and there was grave risk not only to his life but also to his friend and wife. There was heavy deployment of forces at every nook and cranny of the town where violence erupted on Friday afternoon before the namaj engulfing new areas with rampaging mob pelting stones at the security personnel, burning down shops and vehicles, forcing the administration to clamp curfew and the security personnel to resort to firing to bring the situation under control.
Timely help by Maqbool helped Rubon’s wife Nandita to deliver a normal healthy baby boy at around 5.30 pm. Rubon and his friend Maqbool heaved a sigh of relief on getting the good news from the doctors that his wife as given birth to a baby boy and that her condition was stable. Rubon hugged his friend Maqbool and thanked him profusely for coming out to help them in their hour of distress and giving his wife a new lease of life. Maqbool, in turn, patted Rubon on the back and asked him to thank the Almighty for coming to their rescue.
An elated Rubon at once decided to name his baby boy ‘Shanti’ born amidst curfew with the fond hope that he would herald durable peace in strife-torn Hailakandi.
The good news spread like wildfire. Administrator, SK Roy Civil Hospital, Bhaskar Das said the incident is a classic instance of Hindu-Muslim unity and brotherhood.
Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli and Superintendent of Police, Mohneesh Mishra visited the residence of Rubon and congratulated them. Said Jalli, while cuddling the baby, “It’s good to know that the baby boy has been named Shanti by the parents with the hope that lasting peace will return back in Hailakandi. I congratulate Maqbool for his valour and communal brotherhood. We need more such examples of Hindu-Muslim bhai bhai unity and amity!.”
