Durdana Bhat
SRINAGAR
They slipped into Jhelum on May 10 and since then their bodies remain irretrievable. Ten days later on Tuesday, their tenth class results were announced and both of them were declared pass.
The results, however, only intensified the mourning in twin houses of the drowned teens than triggering celebrations.
Among 50535 students that wrote Class 10 exams early March this year were Faizan Malik of Sonwar and Muhammad Haseeb Bhat of Khanyar, who slipped into the river at Zaina Kadal area while trying to retrieve a cricket ball from it.
When Faizan Malik’s father checked his son’s Class 10 Roll No: 8119273, he couldn’t contain his normal composure to see his drowned son securing 347/500 marks.
“He had told his grandmother: ‘Do bring a cellphone for me on my matric results.’ But now, we lost him and lost the very meaning of this celebration,” said one close relative of Faizan.
At another residence in Khanyar, the news of result fell like a doom for the grieving parents of another drowned teen, Haseeb Bhat.
While it is already tenth day running, the police say they are putting their best efforts to retrieve the bodies.
Already the families of drowned teens staged a sit-in accusing government of failing to retrieve bodies of the duo. They even appealed Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed to seek the services of Navy divers and Army to recover the bodies.
“We know they are no more,” one parent said. “They have met their fate. We appeal to government to intensify the operation so that we can give them a proper burial.”
The tragedy, however, didn’t stop some to stick to old political guards. MLA Khanyar, Ali Muhammad Sagar said: “This government is not serious to retrieve the bodies.” But the man he defeated in Khanyar assembly polls last year, PDP’s Khurshid Alam, said: “Government shares the sorrow of the bereaved families. It will take all possible steps to retrieve their bodies.”
But all such talking doesn’t seem to console the families who still anxiously wait for the bodies of their sons.
“The search operation for the bodies is going on at a very slow pace,” said Mehak Ayaz, sister of one of the victims. “We can’t afford to pay private players and want the government to help us. This is our fervent appeal.” She broke down repeatedly—so did each and every member of twin teens’ families.
But while almost everyone among 26900 boys (that appeared in their Class 10 exams early March this year) turned up anxiously Tuesday to know their fate, the two boys were missing from the scene—as they had already succumbed to their unfortunate fate.
