Kulgam, March 16: Days after the first body of a missing youth was recovered from the Veshow River in Mah Ashmuji village of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, another body was found on Sunday, bringing fresh anguish to the affected families. Of the three missing nomadic men, two have now been found dead, while the search for the third one continues.
On Sunday, the family, relatives, and other community members took the deceased’s body to the national highway and staged a protest, demanding a thorough investigation into the mysterious deaths and the disappearance of the third missing person.
According to the family, the second recovered body has been identified as Mohammad Showkat, son of Mohammad Sadiq Bajad, a resident of Chandian Pajan, Qazigund. His remains were found in the Vaishow Nallah at Mah Ashmuji in Kulgam district earlier in the morning.
Notably, a month ago, three youth—Riyaz Ahmad Bajad, his younger brother Showkat Ahmad Bajad, and a third person, Mukhtar Ahmad—went missing from Qazigund. Their families had been searching for them ever since and had lodged a missing report at the local police station.
Talib Hussain, a tribal activist who joined the protesters, demanded a judicial inquiry into the case, emphasizing the need for justice and the punishment of those responsible. He presented these demands before DIG South Kashmir and SSP Kulgam at the protest site, urging a fair and transparent investigation.
Senior officers, including DIG South Kashmir, SSP Kulgam, Assistant Commissioner Revenue (ACR) Kulgam, Tehsildar Devsar, reached the protest site and assured the demonstrators that a thorough investigation would be conducted and no culprit would be spared. Following these assurances, the protesters dispersed, traffic was restored, and the deceased was laid to rest amid emotional scenes.
Three days ago, the body of Riyaz Ahmad Bajad was recovered from the same nallah. All three missing men hailed from Rajouri and were working as labourers in Qazigund. The trio had left for Ashmuji, Kulgam, on February 13 to attend a family function but went missing before reaching their destination. Their phones have remained switched off since their disappearance.
A joint search operation by Kulgam Police, SDRF, and NDRF is ongoing to locate the third missing youth. (With inputs from KNO)
