Anantnag Attack: Muslim bus driver drove through firing, saved 50 yatris

The causality in Anantnag attack could have been more had the Muslim driver left the wheel of the bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims last evening.

The courage of Saleem Sheikh, the driver of the bus, who hurriedly drove the yatris  to safety saved around 50 lives, reported Indian Express.

The attack on the bus with 56 yatris aboard left seven dead and over 19 injured.

“Realising that halting the bus amid firing can have dangerous consequences, Saleem had driven the bus for nearly two kilometres before he reached an army camp,” the report said.

“I spoke to the passengers and they were all praise for the driver. He drove despite the firing and took them to safety. It made a lot of difference and many lives were saved. He did not stop. Had he stopped, more lives could have been lost,” Munir Khan, IG, Kashmir was quoted as saying by One India.

The report said that Saleem’s family in Gujarat is also proud of the exemplary courage shown by him.

The bus was on its way from Baltal to Jammu when a shootout began after gunmen attacked the government forces.