Jammu, Sep 6: Search operations have been intensified in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda and Ramban districts to locate the bodies of a man and a woman who are believed to have drowned in separate incidents in the Chenab River. Officials confirmed on Sunday that the efforts are ongoing to trace the missing individuals.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the incidents occurred in separate locations and at different times. A 21-year-old woman reportedly jumped into the river in Doda on Saturday afternoon, while a 20-year-old man slipped into the fast-flowing Chenab in Ramban on September 1.
The woman, identified as Payal Devi, is understood by her family to have been suffering from anxiety and depression. She is believed to have jumped from the Shiva Dal bridge near Prem Nagar in Doda. A video circulating on social media, purportedly filmed by onlookers, appears to show the woman saying “bye-bye” before entering the river. The exact circumstances leading to her taking this extreme step remain unclear, with officials stating they could not be immediately ascertained.
To aid in the search for Devi’s body, additional teams comprising police personnel, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local volunteers have joined the operation. Rescue teams have conducted extensive searches along the riverbanks and downstream sections of the Chenab, but no trace of the woman has been found thus far. Her father, Krishan Lal, stated that his daughter had gone to a local mela and later informed him she was going to consult a doctor due to feeling unwell. After finding the doctor unavailable, she was reportedly on her way back and may have taken a motorcycle. Lal recounted a phone call from someone accompanying his daughter who informed him that she had run towards the river, saying, “Nobody should come near me.” He further related that his daughter told him, “No, papa. This is my own life. My heart tells me that I should go this way.” The call ended with her saying, “Bye-bye, papa.”
Meanwhile, a multi-agency search and rescue operation is also underway to find Ravi Kumar, who reportedly slipped into the Chenab River at Maitra in Ramban on September 1. Ramban Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Alyas Khan and Senior Superintendent of Police Arun Gupta visited the incident site to assess the ongoing search operation and the action plan being executed by the involved agencies. Considering the hazardous conditions and strong water flow of the Chenab River, experts have advised against the use of boats during the rescue efforts due to associated risks.
Officials stated that the search operation is being conducted using specialised rescue equipment and by trained personnel who are adhering to all necessary safety protocols. Following intervention from the deputy commissioner, authorities at the Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project have reportedly restricted the water flow in the river to facilitate the ongoing rescue operation.
The Chenab Times News Desk