Omar visits braveheart shikarawala’s family

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 17

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today visited the family of Ghulam Mohammad Guroo, a braveheart boatman who died saving a group of tourists last week.

Omar, who is the working president of National Conference, expressed solidarity with Guroo’s family at their riverside boat house in the city’s Raj Bagh locality.

Calling him an “icon of Kashmir’s hospitality and courage,” Omar said Guroo’s sacrifice spoke “volumes about his courage and honesty”.

“His sacrifice in saving three tourists without caring for his own life and then also trying to save their belongings speaks volumes about his courage and honesty,” Omar said. “It is individuals like Ghulam Mohammad Guroo who have defined Kashmir’s trait of hospitality over centuries. His tale of courage and honour will go down in history as a testament to Kashmir’s warmth and affection for our guests,” he said.

Guroo, a shikarawala or a boatman, became a hero when he saved three tourists who were taking a joy-ride in his boat which capsized last week in Jhelum river. However, Guroo drowned when he made a fourth dive into the river to retrieve the luggage of the tourists.

Guroo’s body remained missing for several days and was fished out from the river on Monday this week.