Srinagar: Two years after the Gandbal Srinagar boat tragedy that claimed eight lives and left an entire locality in mourning, grief returned to the banks of the Jhelum on Sunday.
Locals stumbled upon what appeared to be “a human foot emerging from the sand” near the same stretch of river, a chilling discovery that has once again reignited memories of the 2024 tragedy.
The “human foot” spotted by residents engaged in sand collection triggered shock and sorrow in Gandbal Srinagar, a riverside settlement still haunted by the April 2024 disaster.
Authorities were immediately alerted, and by Monday morning, the Indian Navy’s elite MARCOS (Marine Commandos) joined a renewed search operation along the Jhelum to trace the source of the remains.
“We were clearing sand when one of us noticed something that looked like a human foot,” a sand collector, one of the first to spot the remains said. “It was half-buried, pale and stiff. For a moment, everything around us froze. All we could think of was that night.”
Officials said the suspected human remains have been sent for forensic examination to confirm their origin and its identification.
“The MARCOS and SDRF are jointly scanning the river stretch and adjoining banks,” an official said, adding that the search continued through Monday evening while visibility remained good and would resume Tuesday morning.
For many in Gandbal, the find has reopened old wounds, particularly for the family of Showkat Ahmad Sheikh, the 40-year-old mason who went missing when the overloaded boat ferrying children and women capsized midstream on April 16, 2024.
“We never saw his body,” said Rafiqa Begum, a resident of Gandbal, her voice trembling. “We performed his funeral without a grave. When we heard about the foot, we prayed it might finally give us an answer.”
Despite massive rescue operations that year involving the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and MARCOS, Showkat’s body was never recovered. For months, his family kept visiting the river, hoping it would one day return what it had taken.
On Monday, the familiar sight of uniformed divers, rescue boats and cordoned riverbanks brought the tragedy back to life. Locals stood in silence as the MARCOS commandos began scanning the muddy waters under a cold winter sun.
“This river has never stopped whispering about that night,” said another resident of Gandbal. “Maybe it is time it finally tells us the truth.”—(KNO)
