NEW DELHI, January 22: The stranger-than-fiction episode of the love-lorn Varanasi youth Asfar 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.
By 2 p.m. 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.
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 firemen standing by to assist him, but Jamal refused any help -- evidently quite confident that he could make it by himself.
The crowds, which
by now had adopted an almost paternal attitude to him, shouted advise to come down carefully. "Don't look down, you'll feel giddy," someone yelled. 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.
Waiting at the base of the tower were his sobbing brothers and mother. After an emotional reunion with his family, Jamal was bundled into a ambulance of the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.
Making a brief appearance at the door of the ambulance, the wan-looking, hollowed-eyed 24-year-old indicated that he would fight on for his wife. "I will now approach the courts again. Let's see where we can take it from there," he told waiting reporters.
As the doors closed and the ambulance drove away, a railway employee smiled: "It is like seeing off a baraat in the family. Let's hope that his wife will join him
soon."
Talking to Express Newsline, Jamaal feared about the safety of his family. "My parents are scared because Bhim Singh, the henchman of Mukhtar Ansari who was involved in the kidnapping, are threatening them," he said. "I am not looking for publicity, I need my Poonam back..." he said.
According to him, he was taken for a ride by some Supreme Court lawyers who apparently filed a wrong petition of habeas corpus. "I have exhausted all my money.... I request the Chief Justice to give me justice," he appealed. The police say if the Railways file a complaint against Asfar for trespassing, they will have to book him.
National Human Rights Commission. (NHRC) officials say they will help him put his case forward. "We felt that human problems can only be dealt with a human touch, so we asked him to come down," said Ashok Chakraverty, SSP, NHRC. "We will be examining the documents related to his marriage and if they are found to be true, we'll take up the case," he added.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
