A burial Kashmir will never forget for years to come

Handwara, May 31: Wailing women beat their chest repeatedly while men stood dazed and speechless as a truck carrying the bodies of school children, who drowned in Wullar Lake in Sopore area of Baramulla yesterday, reached the town in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district near the Line of Control (LoC) this morning.

Heart-rending scenes were witnessed and a pall of gloom descended on this town as the bodies were brought here for burial from Watlab near the Wullar Lake. None could control their tears.

And as the bodies were placed in coffins, cries of pain and grief rented the air. Thousands of mourners carried the bodies on their shoulders chanting verses from the holy book of Quran.

They also shouted ''Allaho Akbar (Allah is Great), Qatilon Ko Pesh Karo (produce the killers).'' The bodies of nine children were brought to Handwara, two each to Chotapora, Ghonipora and Harpana while one each to Marhatgam and Chogul. Two children were still from Kargam and Chotibal villages besides a peon of the school.

Wailing women surrounded the bodies, some of whom beat their chests and cried out, ''Why did this happen to us?''.

After offering ''Namaz-e-Jinazah (last prayers)'' at the Eidgah ground here, the children were buried in their respective villages.

''Why did the Indian Navy officials take the children for the ride. How could they allow the boats to be over-crowded. Why weren't the life-saving jackets provided?,'' asked Mohammad Yousuf Bhat as he stared at the corpses, which were covered with white sheets and placed in wooden coffins draped in green cloth.

Similar questions were asked by several other angry mourners.

''Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has ordered a judicial probe.

But, this probe should not meet the fate of previous inquiries. We will not remain silent on this. The guilty have to be punished,'' said Ghulam Mohammad, his eyes bloodshot and finger wagging.

Three TATA-407 buses carrying 82 children and the staff of Burning Candle School, Handwara left here yesterday morning for Watlab on an excursion. The visibly happy children stopped at the Wullar Lake and expressed a desire to take a ride on the Indian Navy boats, pleading the sailors that they had never experienced it before in the second largest fresh water lake in Asia.

The sailors sought the permission of their seniors and once granted the children were asked to board the two boats.

As one of the boats reached the middle of the Lake, it capsized due to overcrowding and as a defence spokesman said due to the over-excitement of kids.... The joyride soon turned into a tragedy.

Sources said about 30-40 children each had boarded the two boats.

Bashir Ahmad lost his two daughters Bilquees and Mehak in the capsize. And so did Abdur Rasheed of Handwara who lost Rehana and Sabrina in the tragedy.

Both were inconsolable and refused to speak.

UNI