NEW DELHI, January 22: The stranger-than-fiction episode of the love-lorn Varanasi youth Ashraf Jamal finally ended this afternoon.Relief was writ on every face as he haltingly made his way down the iron rungs of the microwave tower of the Indian Railways on Thompson Road, which had been his home for the last seven days.
Jamal had kept the city police on tenterhooks and attracted international media attention by threatening to jump off the tower if his wife was not brought back to him. By 2 pm today, word had got round that Jamal would be coming down. At the venue, the police had a difficult time keeping the ever-growing crowds at bay. Every rooftop in the vicinity was dotted with onlookers. But the man atop the tower seemed to be in no particular hurry, as he continued with his namaz. About half an hour later he indicated that he was ready to come down. He first threw his blanket, and some plastic material that had evidently served as a bed up there in the tower.
The police informed him on
their public address system that they had the firemen waiting to assist him in the descend, but Jamal refused any help. The crowds advised him to come down carefully. "Don't look down, you'll feel giddy," someone shouted. But most remained silent, worried that the hum of their conversation would distract the young man. When it was evident that he was almost safe home, the crowd cheered him on. At one point, Jamal stopped and waved to them as if to thank them for their support.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
