Local Muslim population has been continuously visiting a Kashmiri Pandit family in Dhobivan village in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district from past four days to express their heartfelt sympathies with the bereaved family that has lost a budding son on the day of Baisakhi festival in Punjab.The Pandit family headed by Master Veer Ji Raina of Dhobivan Tangmarg didn’t migrate from Valley after the eruption of militancy in Kashmir. The family lived happily in the village while their Muslim neighbours supported them in thick and thin.Ritik Raina, the son of Master Veerji had got admission in Aryan Group of colleges located at Rajpora Punjab and was the student of BBA 2nd year.On the fateful day of Baisakhi, my son Ritik Raina along with his friends had gone to see the picturesque Bakhra Dam. While taking a selfie, he slipped and drowned in the dam and even after the expiry of five day’s Punjab authorities have not retrieved his body.
The authorities have not taken proper measures and that is why I have now appealed authorities in Jammu and Kashmir to help me in retrieving the body of my son,” Master Veer Ji told Kashmir based news agency CNS.“I am overwhelmed by the support extended to our family by Muslim brothers here in Kashmir. Some Muslims have rushed to Punjab to trace the body of my boy,” he said adding that Muslims continue to pour in and are expressing grief. The neighbours of the Master Veer Ji said that they never felt Master Veer Ji is a Pandit. “We are all Kashmiri and religion and politics have never divided us,” said Muhammad Saleem adding that Muslims want to perform the last rites of the deceased boy themselves.SSP Baramulla, Mir Imtiyaz Hussain told CNS that police will provide every possible help to the bereaved family. “We will talk to our counterparts in Punjab and make sure the body gets retrieved without any further delay,” he said. (CNS)