Families of drowned teenagers stage sit-in

Soon after the incident, police with the help of some locals started searching for the boys, but success has eluded them so far.

The families of two teenagers who drowned in river Jhelum at Zaina Kadal last week, held a sit-in on Friday here against failure of authorities to retrieve their bodies.

Faizan Malik of Sonwar and Muhammad Haseeb Bhat of Khanyar had slipped on Sunday in the river while trying to retrieve a cricket ball from it.

“We appeal the Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed to seek the services of Navy divers and Army on humanitarian grounds to recover the bodies of the duo,” said a family member of one of the victims staging a sit-in at Press Enclave here.

“We know they are no more. They have met their fate but what we want from the government is to intensify the operation so that their bodies are retrieved as soon as possible so that we can give them a proper burial,” a relative said.

Soon after the incident, police with the help of some locals started searching for the boys, but success has eluded them so far.

“The search operation for the bodies was going on at a very slow pace. We appeal the government to seek the services of the Army and Navy divers to end our nightmare,” Mehak Ayaz, sister of one of the victims, said.

She said they are not in a position to engage private divers who are seeking “hefty amount” in joining the search. “We can’t afford to pay private players and want the government to help us. This is our fervent appeal, she said.

During the sit-in, the relatives of the duo, carrying placards which read, “Please Help” and “Help Us to find Haseeb and Faizan”, broke down repeatedly.