Raipur: Kashmiri local guide Nazakat Ahmed Shah, who saved the family of a BJP youth worker during the April Pahalgam terror attack, received a warm welcome in Chhattisgarh nearly six months after the incident. The attack in South Kashmir had left 26 people dead and several injured.
Shah, who has been visiting Chhattisgarh for over three decades to sell clothes, became a hero after rescuing the family of BJP youth wing worker Arvind Agrawal. During his first visit to the state since the attack, Shah was felicitated by Agrawal and around 50 residents in Chirmiri, Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur district. The group expressed their gratitude with garlands, flowers, and a shared lunch.
Agrawal recalled that Shah’s quick thinking saved his wife and four-year-old daughter. “When the firing began, he asked us to lie down and shielded my daughter and my friend’s son. He took them to safety and returned to rescue my wife,” Agrawal said.
Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Shah said he felt emotional meeting the families he had saved. “Chhattisgarh feels like home to us. We come here for three months every year for business, and people here have always treated us like family,” he said.
Shah’s act of courage has been widely praised across communities, highlighting the enduring human bonds that transcend politics and geography.
