MUZAFFARABAD: A woman attempted suicide by jumping into Jhelum River, reportedly after an argument with her brother, but was rescued by the State Disaster Management Authority’s (SDMA) water rescue team on Tuesday, shortly after the incident.

Ghulam Mohammad Azad, the in-charge of the SDMA’s water rescue operation, told Dawn that his team was alerted by a message from their main office that a body was floating in the river. At the same time, there was a commotion among bystanders gathered along Jhelum Valley Road, which runs parallel to the river, he said.

The SDMA has recently set up a camp for its water rescue team at the historic Maharaja Ranbir Singh’s Baradari pavilion, which supports an iron bridge from the pre-partition era.

The major portion of this pavilion is located on the right side of the river. This bridge is now used by pedestrians and small vehicles, while a nearby RCC bridge accommodates larger traffic.

Both bridges span the Jhelum River near its confluence with the Neelum River, an area locally known as Domel.

Due to several suicide attempts — primarily by women — in full public view from these bridges in recent months, Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul

Haq directed the SDMA to establish a camp for the water rescue team in Domel area.

Mr Azad said the rescue team managed to reach the woman using a boat and brought her safely to the riverbank, right under the steel bridge. Footage captured by bystanders shows the woman, dressed in a black abaya and woolen headscarf, resisting the rescuers and shouting as they helped her onto the shore.

“She kept asking why we saved her,” Mr Azad said.

The woman, a resident of Halan Shamali village in Haveli district, was later transported to a hospital for medical evaluation and recovery. One of the rescuers, who wished to remain anonymous, quoted the woman as saying that she had visited her brother, who lives in Domel, the day before.

She had proposed a marriage

between her son and her niece, but her brother not only rejected the proposal but also reportedly humiliated her to the point where she felt compelled to take her own life.

SDMA Director General Masoodur Rehman told Dawn that Prime Minister Haq expressed his satisfaction with the successful rescue operation and personally called to convey his appreciation to the team. However, Mr Rehman said he was unaware whether the woman had been charged with attempted suicide or released to return home.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2024