Lone Hindu Priest ready to die in the hands of Taliban rather than leave Afghanistan

• Image Credit: Internet

• Aug 17, 2021 | moderator

Kabul: The people of Afghanistan desperately want to leave the country, clinging on to planes to escape the Taliban who have taken over the country, but, Pandit Rajesh Kumar, the last Hindu priest of the Rattan Nath temple, is an exception.

As the Taliban continued their violence in Afghanistan, Pandit Kumar was urged to leave Kabul, with the other Hindu people and was also offered the arrangements for his travel and stay. However, Pandit Kumar disagreed because of his unwavering loyalty to the temple.

Twitter handle Bharadwaj posted, “Pandit Rajesh Kumar, the priest of Rattan Nath Temple in Kabul said: “Some Hindus have urged me to leave Kabul & offered to arrange for my travel and stay. But my ancestors served this Mandir for hundreds of years. I will not abandon it. If Taliban kills me, I consider it my Seva."

The situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating after the Taliban took over Kabul. Since the Taliban captured Kabul, President Ashraf Ghani has fled the nation, admitting that the insurgents have won.

India will help the members of Afghanistan’s tiny Sikh and Hindu community to come to India, said the Ministry of External Affairs. “We are in constant touch with the representatives of Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities. We will facilitate repatriation to India of those who wishes to leave Afghanistan,” foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a statement.

DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa claimed that after Afghanistan fell into the hands of the Taliban, many Hindus and Sikhs have taken refuge in Kabul’s Karte Parwan Gurdwara.

“I am in constant touch with the president of Gurdwara Committee of Kabul and the Sangat who have told me that 320 plus people, including 50 Hindus and 270 plus Sikhs, have taken refuge in Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Kabul in wake of recent developments. “Taliban leaders have met them and assured them of their safety. We are hopeful that Hindus and Sikhs would be able to live a safe and secure life despite political and military changes happening in Afghanistan," Sirsa said.