PALL OF GLOOM DESCENDS ON KISHTWAR

SHEIKH NASIR HUSSAIN

Kishtwar: A pall of gloom descended on mountainous Kishtwar town in the wake of tragic road mishap, which claimed 31 lives. Many households in a few streets lost their relatives.
With trembling hands and in faltering voices, the relatives of the victims consoled one another. People throng to the graveyard and cremation grounds to attend the last rites of the victims, while all the schools, shops and other business establishments remained closed with negligible attendance at the government offices.
The news of road accident spread like wild fire in the town and its adjoining areas and people rushed to the accident site, about 6 kilometers from the main town. On motor-cycles, four wheelers and every thing they found, people were seen moving in large numbers towards Bandarkote, where the tragedy struck.
At District hospital, people in large number, including women, were waiting for the bodies to arrive. For around one hour no body knew who was on the ill fated vehicle but everyone was apprehending that being Monday most of the victims would be government employees.
Then bodies started pouring in. Loaded on trucks and tippers, the bodies were blood soaked and even some had disfigured faces.
The atmosphere in the hospital suddenly changed. The silence suddenly disappeared and there was only hue and cry in air.
Doctors rushed and started checking the pulse of the victims. But none of them were alive.
"I have never had a tougher day," said an employee of the hospital, after seeing the bodies everywhere. The hospital staff was duly assisted by the volunteers of some local NGOs, who are now accustomed of such situation due to the growing number of road mishaps in the area.
After the legal formalities the activities stopped at the hospital and people throng to the houses of the victims.
By the afternoon, local graveyard had around four graves ready. Similar was the situation at the nearby cremation ground, where it was a scramble for everything— from cow dung cakes to firewood and other things associated with funeral rites. Locals and strangers rose as one man, assisting the kin of the deceased in completing the last rites.
While a deceased teacher was being buried in the graveyard, hardly few meters away his colleague was being cremated by his relatives.
The things may be back to normal for everyone in next few days but for the kith and kins of the victims even the time may not be able to heal the wounds left by the tragic mishap.