In yet another incident depicting communal harmony, around 2,000 people mostly Muslims, gathered in Kulgam Manzgam Village to attend the funeral and perform the last rites of a local Kashmiri Pandit woman.

Witnesses said that fifty-year-old Aarti Devi, died after she was taken ill some two years back. Aarti remaining paralysed for almost one-and-a-half years at her home in Manzgam Kulgam, a Muslim dominant area.

The Muslim community helped the family perform the last rites of Aarti Devi as per the Hindu rituals, witnesses added.

“This is true Kashmir. This is our culture and we share brotherhood. We do not believe in duality or divisive politics. We share composite culture,” said Thoker Lukman, the deceased’s brother.

“We are living like brothers since time immemorial and whatever the conditions were, we continued to remain as brothers and will remain so in future as well,” Abdul Gani, a resident of the village, who was part of the funeral said. 

Another local Ghulam Hassan said, “To help our neighbors irrespective of their religion is our duty which we performed. We have lost a daughter  who was born here and her parents have been with us in the worst of the times.”

Guest