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| Sher-e-Kashmir never owned his workers | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, June 18: Sher-e-Kashmir never owned his workers and lost many a supporter in the process. He ignored his trumpet blower, Muhammad Sultan Khan alias Sule Galdaar who infused life into Quit Kashmir Movement.
Galdaar in Kashmir, means a person who deals in food grains. If used in a negative sense, it means a person with a high pitched voice. Khan was not a dealer in food grains, however, he had a "big mouth" and this particular quality won him the name Galdaar. He was a full time worker and remained at the disposal of his beloved leader day in and day out.
During the Quit Kashmir Movement, Sule Galdaar would board a tonga (a horse driven cart) and roam around the city. He would deliver fiery speeches, warning Maharaja Hari Singh of dire consequences in case he did not leave Kashmir immediately. Sher-e-Kashmir and others were released following interference of some Indian leaders including Gandhi. However, Maharaja Hari Singh sought a written apology which was readily given.
Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah became the emergency administrator in October 1947. Sule Galdaar went to his official residence to congratulate him, however, the guards posted outside stopped him. Angered, he told the guard to inform Sher-e-Kashmir of his arrival.
On his return, the guard gave Galdaar the shock of his life. "Sheikh Sahib is busy. He has directed you to meet him in his office tomorrow." The shocked Galdaar left perhaps cursing himself for the only mistake he had committed in his life.
He never called on Sheikh Abdullah again. On June 9, 1953 when the Political Conference was launched, Sule Galdaar became its active member. Prior to its launch, Galdaar did what he was best at. He hired a tonga and announced the proposed launch of the new organization. He even went to the Civil Secretariat and gave Sheikh Abdullah and his former colleagues some tough moments.
On August 9, 1953 Sheikh Abdullah was dismissed and arrested. For a few hours he was kept outside the jail. When Sule Galdaar came to know about the presence of Sheikh Abdullah, he became restless. "What is wrong with you," Mohi-ud-Din Karra, according to Advocate Muhammad Amin Nehvi, asked him. "I am searching for a stick. I want to go out and beat Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah," replied Galdaar. It took the leaders quite some time to pacify Galdaar.
Dr Farooq Abdullah tried to do the damage control in 1983. When new Rambagh Bridge, on the Silk Factory Road, was thrown open, Dr Farooq Abdullah, the then Chief Minister, dedicated it to the "loving memory" of Sule Galdaar. The bridge was also named after him. But to this day, the bridge continues to be known as Rambagh Bridge. No mention of Sule Galdaar Bridge can be found in the official records.
During the heydays of militancy, a stray rocket hit the memorial stone and destroyed it. Instead of re-installing the memorial stone, the authorities plugged the hole, caused by the blast, with cement.
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