Amid sobs, thousands attend funeral prayers of Uri family

Baramulla, Jan 06: Amid sobs and tears, thousands gathered in Uri village of north Kashmir’s Baramulla to bid farewell to five family members who tragically died from asphyxiation in their rented room in Srinagar on Sunday.
The joint funeral, held for a five-member family including three minor children, was led by a local Imam and attended by thousands of people from various areas of the Baramulla district, all with tearful eyes.
The deceased were identified as Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, his wife Saleema Bano and their three children Areeb Aijaz, , Hamza Aijaz and a month-old infant (whose name had not yet been chosen).
On Monday, Gingal village in Boniyar area of Baramulla was engulfed in grief following the heartbreaking incident. Entire night neighbours, villagers had come to console the family.
Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, the father who perished with his family, had been living in a rented accommodation in Srinagar for the past 8-10 years while working as a chef at the Lalit Grand Palace hotel.
Ghulam Rasool Bhat, father of Aijaz, was unaware of the heart-wrenching loss that had befallen his family.
“I don’t believe it. They are alive, and I pray to Allah that my family members regain their senses soon. I want to see them, but I can’t stand or walk,” he said.
Bhat, who is bedridden for years, says he just wants to hold them one more time. But for now, all I can do is pray,” he said, adding that Aijaz was an obedient son, who wanted to educate his children in Srinagar.
Aijaz’s uncle, Ghulam Nabi said that they were yet to name the infant. We were expecting Aijaz Ahmad to come home this week and would have suggested a name for the new born.
“All vanished and there is no hope left from life. We received the devastating news at 9 PM on Sunday. It is the saddest day for the entire Kashmir,” he said.
Nabi said that Aijaz had five siblings including 4 brothers, who are unemployed. He was living with his ailing parents and father is paralyzed patient.
“We urge the government and the hotel industry to support the bereaved family and provide ex-gratia relief for them,” he said.
Another local, Kamal Khan said that it is a tragedy that has shaken our entire community. The government must step in and provide ex-gratia to the family.
“No amount of money can bring them back, but it’s the least we can do to support them in their time of need,” he added that authorities should take immediate action to stop these incidents.
More importantly, this incident should be used as a lesson to raise awareness about the dangers of heating devices. We need widespread education on safety measures to prevent such heart-wrenching losses in the future.”
Advocate Naveed Bukhtiyar, who is a social activist said that this could have happened to anyone, and we don’t want other families to face the same fate.
“The government should launch a campaign to educate the public about the risks of improper heating and ensure that such incidents don’t happen again. We need safety checks, better awareness, and support for families in need,” he said.
Naveed said people should also provide ex gratia for the family as his father is bedridden. As responsible citizens, we also have to avoid such things in future, he added.
Amidst rainfall, the five family members were laid to rest in their ancestral graveyard, with people from Uri and Boniyar.
In Srinagar Mukhtar Ahmad, the house owner, recounted being alerted by Aijaz’s mother, who had failed to contact her son.
Mukhtar said that “She called me, worried that Aijaz wasn’t answering her calls since 4 PM. I sent another tenant to check on them,” he added.
He said when there was no response, we forced the door open and found Aijaz, his wife, and their three children dead.
Meanwhile preliminary investigations suggested that suffocation from a heating device (blower) caused the deaths.
“The bodies were sent to the Government Medical College in Srinagar for post-mortem before being transported to Uri for burial,” officials said.