The debate on effects and side effects of social media notwithstanding, it helped reunite a lost 25-year-old with his family after five months.
Angrez Singh, who belongs to a remote village in Punjab’s Firozpur, had left home due to mental health issues nearly five months ago.
His family thought they had lost him for good when he failed to return home. However, Angrez was found injured in Greater Noida by Sunil Nagar, who posted his picture and details on social media.
The message somehow reached Angrez’s family members, who came to Greater Noida and identified him. He is now back home with his parents, wife and two daughters
Fights with wife
The man’s village is located near the India-Pakistan border. Angrez, who ran a salon in his village, was upset due to frequent fights with his wife and left the house quietly in July, his family claimed.
Sunil first spotted Angrez on November 13 at a secluded bus stop near the Uttar Pradesh Human Rights Commission office at Sector Gamma 1 in Greater Noida.
Broken leg
Sunil said, “I was informed by another resident, Dinesh Kumar, who had been giving food to Angrez. Dinesh told me that Angrez had sustained a fracture in one leg in an accident, due to which he could not move anywhere. I tried to talk to him but he only spoke Punjabi. He seemed traumatised,” said Sunil.
Language barrier
Despite the language barrier, Sunil asked Angrez about his home. He posted Angrez’s photographs and details on Facebook in the hope of finding his family.
“After I posted Angrez’s details on social media, one of my friends called asking for more information. Angrez had told me that his village was located by a river and was in Firozpur. My friend contacted Punjab police and somehow managed to get the number of the chairman of Angrez’s village. He contacted his parents on November 17. They recognised him and said they were coming to Noida to take him,” Sunil added.
Meanwhile, Sunil took Angrez to a community health centre in Bhangel. The doctor said Angrez had a fracture in the right leg but refused to admit him saying they did not have the facility to X-Ray him.
‘No help’
“The staff at Surajpur police station initally did not help me. After much reasoning, they called an ambulance. I took him to the district hospital in Noida. Once again I had a problem admitting him to the hospital,” Sunil added.
On November 18, Angrez’s father, his brother and two other men reached Greater Noida, and identified him.
“After he went away, I looked for him in nearby villages and districts for a long time. As time passed, I lost all hope but the impossible happened only because of the efforts of some good men. I will always pray for them,” said Angrez’s father Raja Singh.
