Kashmiri rafter dies saving 2 tourists, hailed as hero

Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 1

In a heroic act, a young Kashmiri rafter died while saving the lives of two tourists after their raft capsized in the raging Lidder stream at south Kashmir’s Pahalgam resort.

The incident happened last evening when a couple from West Bengal went rafting in the Lidder. The raft overturned and four on board, including rafting guide Rouf Ahmad Dar and his helper, fell into the stream.

Director, Tourism, Kashmir, Nisar Ahmad Wani said Dar upturned the raft before helping the two tourists get back to the safety of the raft.

“An experienced rafter, Dar chose to save the lives of the guests first,” Wani said.

Zahida Parveen, Assistant Director, Tourism, Pahalgam, said: “Dar made sure the tourists got on board the raft first, but got stuck in a whirlpool and could not escape.”

Lidder, a stream that flows ice-cold glacial water from Pahalgam to Jhelum river, has strong currents and is strewn with boulders.

A nightlong operation by the state police and SDRF concluded this morning when Dar’s body was retrieved near his home at Yanner village. Dar, who was married five years ago, was the elder of the two brothers.

Dar’s heroic act won hearts across the region as people hailed him as a symbol of Kashmiriyat. Governor Satya Pal Malik announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for the family and saluted Dar’s bravery, describing him as a “real life hero who sacrificed his life for saving lives of others”.

Khurshid Ahmed Ganai, Adviser to the Governor, said the guide would be awarded posthumously.

This is the second such incident in recent years. In 2016, a 55-year-old boatman had drowned in the Jhelum in Srinagar while saving a group of tourists after their boat capsized.