Vasai teen flees from home to end Jammu and Kashmir unrest

After seeing the recent strife unfold in J&K, he boards a train and starts working at a pani puri stall in Surat, only to be brought back with the realisation that he is too young to ‘end’ issue

Illustration/Uday Mohite

1) The recent strife in Jammu and Kashmir upsets Nirmal Wagh. Wanting to help end it, he leaves on August 10, saying that he’s going for his tuitions, but instead he boards a train

2) A ticket checker approached him at Surat railway station and asked him to de-board the train since he was travelling without a ticket. After alighting at Surat, he decided to board another train but it was four hours away. So, he approached an autorickshaw driver and asked him to give him a tour of the city.

3) Nirmal was carrying Rs 2,000 with him. After he sat in the auto, he had a conversation with the driver wherein he mentioned where he was headed. The driver said the money Nirmal was carrying wouldn’t last him that long and put him in touch with his uncle who runs a pani puri shop, so Nirmal could make some money

4) Nirmal started working at the shop. He would help the vendor make pani puris and do other odd jobs in order to save up to go to Kashmir. He continued to do all of this until August 14, when he decided to contact one of his friends back home in Vasai

5) He called the friend from his employer’s phone but the friend didn’t answer, so Nirmal sent him a text message from the same number. Upon seeing the text message, the friend rushed to Nirmal’s family, who then approached the Vasai police. Then, the cops traced the phone number to Surat. PI Sampatrao Patil got in touch with a local cop, who then contacted Nirmal’s employer

6) After speaking to the employer, cops took Nirmal with them on August 14 and left for Mumbai at 10.30 pm. They reached the city early morning and reunited Nirmal with his family. His father Prasanna profusely thanked the cops for bringing Nirmal back so promptly

7) As for Nirmal, he has now realised that he is too young to completely put an end to the unrest but he aspires to become a career politician with the BJP (yes, he has decided on the political party, too) to help find a solution to issues in Jammu and Kashmir

Nirmal Wagh. Pic/Hanif Patel

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