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“This is a true message of humanity,” said a local cleric, highlighting that the rescued passengers were from the Hindu community

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In the predawn stillness of Nilam Bazaar on Monday, a faint splash stirred Abdul Basit, the imam of Bodo Badi Jama Masjid, from his sleep. Stepping outside, he saw headlights flickering beneath the surface of a nearby pond. A car carrying several passengers had veered off the road and plunged into the water.

Karimganj, a town in southern Assam near the Bangladesh border, is known for its rivers, ponds, and tightly-knit neighborhoods, where mosques, temples, and markets often sit within walking distance of each other. Basit, a resident of Nilam Bazaar and a teacher at Madrasa Jamia ul Uloom Furqanaya Kareem Ganj, realized the urgency and ran to the mosque’s loudspeaker system, usually reserved for the call to prayer, to alert the community.

“I saw the lights of the car under the water and knew we had to act immediately,” he told Millat Times. “I made the announcement and asked everyone to come and help.”

Residents, almost entirely from the Muslim neighborhood, rushed to the pond, wading into the cold water, breaking the car’s windows, and pulling seven passengers to safety before the vehicle sank completely.

“This is a true message of humanity,” said Maulana Abdul Hafeez, a local cleric, highlighting that the rescued passengers were from the Hindu community. Basit reflected on the moment: “We didn’t think about religion or anything else. The priority was to save lives.”

The passengers, residents of neighbouring Tripura, were travelling home from Assam’s Silchar district. After the rescue, they boarded separate cars and taxis to continue their journey home.

Local residents praised Basit’s leadership, calling it a powerful example of interfaith solidarity. Iqbal, a local politician from the ruling BJP, personally visited to appreciate Basit’s actions, while the civil police administration reportedly took note of the incident and assured that Basit would be formally rewarded.

In a region where communal tensions sometimes run deep, Basit’s swift response and the collective effort of the Muslim community to save members of the Hindu community became a compelling symbol of unity and humanity.