Pak returns body of Jammu youth who ended life after jumping in Chenab River

JAMMU: Pakistani authorities on Saturday handed over to their Indian counterparts the body of a man who allegedly ended his life by jumping into the Chenab river in Jammu, officials said.

Harash Nagotra’s family expressed their gratitude to the Indian government, army and the Border Security Force for the successful repatriation, they said.

Nagotra, a resident of a border village in the Akhnoor sector, went missing on June 11, and his motorcycle was recovered on the banks of the river following, which his family lodged a missing report the next day, police said.

Preliminary investigation suggested that he allegedly committed suicide by jumping into the river after suffering a loss of over Rs 80,000 in an online gaming application, the official said.

The family got the confirmation about Nagotra’s death through a WhatsApp message from a Pakistani official after the parents reactivated their son’s SIM card on July 13, who worked in a private telecommunication company.

Nagotra’s father, Subash Sharma, said the WhatsApp message from the Pakistani official, who claimed to be posted in the post-mortem department, informed them that the body was recovered from a canal in Sialkot in Punjab province on June 13, officials said.

The official had informed the Sharma that the body had been buried. He also sent Nagorta’s identity card and a few pictures of the body to the grieving family through WhatsApp, confirming that the body recovered in Sialkot is that of their missing son.

The grieved family made a fervent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought the return of the body to perform the last rites, they said.

“The body of my son was handed over to us this evening, and we will perform his last rites in accordance with our religious beliefs. We are thankful to the Prime Minister, external affairs ministry, army and BSF for their efforts in ensuring repatriation of the body of the deceased,” Sharma said.

The officials said the army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps and BSF coordinated with their Pakistani counterparts, and Harash’s body was handed over to the Indian side at Octroi post near Suchetgarh on Saturday evening after completion of legal formalities on both sides.

The body was taken to a government medical hospital for post-mortem, and last rites will be performed on Sunday, the officer said.