The night’s last trip, to keep a commitment

Team member Awasthy holds up a torch while two steer the boat.

It is 10.45 pm and a team of seven from 7 Rashtriya Rifles has set out to rescue nine civilians from Bihar. It is a commitment to keep before winding up operations for the day. On one of its earlier trips, the team had heard them shouting for help and promised to return. The team has had a quick sip of tea, its only one since breakfast, before setting out from Badami Baug Cantonment.

They are on a special, flat-based boat called BAUT, or boat assault universal type, fitted with an out boat motor (OBM). Team member Awasthy holds up a torch while two steer the boat. A right turn takes them along the Srinagar-Leh highway, now a waterbody in the city flowing parallel to the Jhelum. On the waters are reflections of trees while occasionally the carcasses of dogs and cows float by. The houses alongside are silent, the occupants having possibly fallen asleep after shouting for help all day. From one house flashes a mobile phone’s light; Awasthy shouts, “We will come back.”

At times, the boat hits an electric pole. “Koi baat nahi. Peechhe lo,” a jawan tells the OBM operator. The team has learnt to deal with wires. The person in front grabs the wire, lifts it and hands it over to people sitting behind. The trick is to not leave it, for it can strangle one of them.

Naer one tree, the boat takes a left turn into the area where the group is trapped. “Are bhai kaha ho,” one jawan shouts as the team flashes the light on the building. A voice from another building directs the team to where the target group is. The boat floats to the balcony on the second floor. The waiting group comes down from the third floor. A rope is thrown across and one by one, the group gets aboard. There is some space left and the officer now shouts at the man who had directed the boat here. “Do you want to come?” “No,” comes the reply. This has happened earlier; many have refused to leave their houses.

On the way back, the boat reaches the house where a mobile light had flickered. Awasthy flashes his torch towards the window. There is no response. The occupant has possibly gone off to sleep.

The nine rescued register their names at an ad hoc counter. When it is over, it is 12.30 am. The team, out since 4 am, and drenched, breaks up. They will meet “tomorrow morning at 6 am”.

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