Man sets out on 2100-km cycle journey to meet ailing father, CRPF lends him help

With the country in a lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, 30-year-old Arif had only way to meet his ailing father: cycle 2100 km from Mumbai to Jammu's Rajouri district, where the 60-year-old lives in a remote village along the Line of Control.

Arif, a watchman, set out on the daunting journey hoping some miracle would happen and he would be able to see his father, who had suffered a massive stroke and was in critical condition.

And miracle did happen, when the CRPF came to his help. The paramilitary force gave him and his father 'wings', quite literally.

Arif's father Wazir Hussain was on Sunday airlifted from the Panjgrain village on a special chopper after the CRPF's Kashmir-based 'madadgaar' helpline came into action.

On April 1, a week after the 21-day lockdown began, Arif came to know that his father had suffered the "massive stroke".

The man, who is employed as a watchman in the financial capital of the country, found that there was no mode of transport that could take him to his village along the India-Pakistan LoC.

The next day, he decided to cover the huge distance on his bicycle.

"The madadgaar was informed by a media outlet about Arif's journey. The helpline immediately got into action, called up Arif and got logistics arranged through CRPF establishments spread across five states. On Sunday, he was provided with lunch, Rs 2,000 cash, sanitiser, masks and some dry fruits at Vadodara in Gujarat."