Pampore: In a heart-wrenching incident, a 22-year-old youth from Lethpora village of Pampore area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district met a tragic end on Tuesday as he drowned while bathing in a pond located in the Mondakpal village of Pampore.
The locals identified the youth as Sahil Lateef, son of Mohammad Lateef, a resident of Lethpora Pampore. As per reports, Sahil, accompanied by three of his friends, was enjoying a leisure bath in the pond. Unfortunately, what was meant to be a moment of relaxation turned into a nightmare as Sahil lost his life in the waters.
The news of the incident spread like wildfire, prompting a swift gathering of hundreds of locals at the site.
The immediate response came from a dedicated police team stationed in Khrew, who along with locals launched a rescue operation to recover Sahil’s body from the pond. Tragically, Sahil’s life could not be saved. However, the other three youths were successfully rescued.
Sahil was shifted to Sub District Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
SDPO Pampore Krishan Rattan along with SHO Pampore Jazib Mohammad Bhat and SHO Khrew Rehman Tandoli reached the hospital. Police registered a case under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPc) to ascertain the exact cause of Sahil’s death.
Talking to Kashmir Reader, Dr Murtaza at SDH Pampore said that Sahil was brought dead to the hospital. “He had remained underwater for about 20 minutes before he was fished out,” the doctor said.
The locals who brought him here said that after retrieving him from the water, Sahil suffered from vomiting and breathed for a brief time after which there was no moment of life in him.
After the legal formalities, the body of Sahil was handed over to his family for last rites.

BILAL HABIB