Okhla, DELHI :

Okhla-based lifeguard Mumtaz who fished out dead bodies from Yamuna, saved many passes away

An award-winning lifeguard, and a resident of Jamia Nagar, who had a reputation of diving into the water of Yamuna to fish out dead bodies and rescue many for the last four decades, passed away on Wednesday due to heart attack.

A retired teacher of Jamia school, 63-year-old Mumtaz Ahmed, was hospitalised for the last 15 days for getting treatment of heart ailment, but he couldn’t be save and was laid to rest in Batla House graveyard on Wednesday.

He saved many lives from Yamuna and was known to be the best swimmer in the whole area.

Though his act to save anyone from Yamuna was known but his daredevil act in 1995 of fishing out 7 bodies alone and saving one life when a boat of Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary had capsized in Okhla made him a hero.

Following the act, he was honoured with a Jeevan Rakshak Padak and a reward of Rs 10,000 from the President. Over the years he won several awards.

Mumtaz, born in Okhla, retired two years ago after working in Jamia Middle School Self Finance as a PT teacher since 1987, said his family member.

Old timers at Jamia, who knew him personally, said whenever there was any incident of drowning in Yamuna people used to rush to Mumtaz house in Ghaffoor Nagar seeking help and he never let them down.

Jamia school teacher Haris-ul-Haq said he heard from his friends that Mumtaz fished out the first body when he was 12 years old and since then he fished out some 100 dead bodies and saved many from different water bodies of Delhi.

He has left behind three sons and a wife.

source: http://www.theokhlatimes.com / The Okhla Times / Home> Local / by the okhla times / September 15th, 2022