Sarla Taploo, wife of late Kashmiri Hindu lawyer Tikalal Taploo passes away

Pune, Dec 30: Sarla Taploo, wife of Shaheed Tikalal Taploo, breathed her last early this morning here in Pune. Notably, Tika Lal married Sarla Ji who was working as a government teacher in 1957.

 

Tikalal Taploo, who was also a Kashmiri Hindu lawyer, was assassinated by Islamic terrorists in 1989. He stood for universal civil rights & tolerance. 14 September is now known as Martyrs Day. Now, 32 years later, his wife has now departed. According to the reports, his wife, Sarla looked after the home front.

 

 

 

On 14th September 1989, Kashmir was plunged in grief and darkness such as it had not experienced before in living memory. The warm, gifted, humane and self-less young Tikalal Taploo was felled by the assassins, bullets in broad-day light outside his own house in Srinagar. The Islamic fundamentalists had murdered not only Taploo but also an old faith and culture of universal brotherhood and love and tolerance which be symbolized in his life.

 

Taploo was attacked many times before also, but he stood like a lion and iron pillar between Kashmir and the Islamic extremism. Knowing the fact that his life is in threat, he left his family at Delhi and returned Kashmir on 8th Sept’1989. On 12th September’1989 he was attacked at his residence in Chinkral Mohalla, but came out openly and challenged the militants without any fear.

 

When he passed away, Tikalal Taploo was given a tearful farewell. Among others Kedar Nath Sahni and senior BJP leader LK Advani together with thousands of Kashmiri Hindus accompanied his funeral procession. The Kashmiri Hindu organizations had given a call for a bandh that day. The Hindu shops schools and office-establishment were closed.

 

Tikalal Taploo was a "Nationalist" par excellence. He could never compromise on the question of "Bharat" and Kashmir being an integral part of it. He was a great Orator and could keep his audience spell bound by his logic and a special emphatic way of delivering his words. He was a skilled and gifted lawyer, but never did he use his skill for commercial gains. He pleaded free of charge for any downtrodden, be it a poor peasant, driver or prosecuted penniless person. He was totally dedicated towards delivering justice to one and all irrespective of their race and religion. This was one of his ways of practicing the secular character, which he always stood for and practiced till his last.