Published in News 18
The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that India will help members of Afghanistan’s tiny Sikh and Hindu community to come to India.
Desperate images of Afghanis clinging on to planes to escape the Taliban who have taken over the country have been doing the rounds on social media but Pandit Rajesh Kumar, the last Hindu priest of the Rattan Nath temple, is an exception.
As Taliban continued their offensive in Afghanistan, Kumar was urged to leave Kabul, with several Hindus offering to arrange for his travel and stay. However, for Kumar, his unwavering loyalty to the temple meant he was seeking no escape route.
On his Twitter handle @BharadwajSpeaks, 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."