By Suhail Khan
It was Thursday (August 24) when Engineer Gurmeet Singh left home after a brief conversation with the family during meals.
Little did anyone know that those final 30 minutes within the family would become cherished memories forever?
Amidst the haze of shock, the wife of the 38-year-old Baramulla engineer, whose lifeless body was found in the Jehlum river after six days of his disappearance, shared the last moments of the deceased with the family. Speaking to Kashmir Despatch, she recounted that it had been a busy day for her husband at the office. He had met Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Dr. Shrish Asgar, until 5:30 in the evening.
In the afternoon, he had called her to assure her of his well-being, during a meeting. This response wasn’t uncommon; Gurmeet frequently remained engrossed in his work at the office. This was not just a testament to his dedication, but also to his love and passion for his job, his service, and the people of Baramulla town.
Returning around 5:45 PM after the meeting with the DC, he went straight to the kitchen, having a drink before saying, “I am hungry.” He had skipped lunch due to the extended meeting. While she prepared a meal in the kitchen, her father had arrived. They sat together for a brief conversation in the living room.
Thinking of her husband’s hunger, she made a few rotis, but Gurmeet only ate one, sharing the others with her father, despite her insistence that he must be hungry. Joining them in the room, they engaged in a short chat. Before leaving, her father advised Gurmeet to take care of himself.
This last moment, forever etched in her memory, was when he left home.
Upon his departure, she had assumed it was official work, not giving it much thought. However, around 8 PM, Gurmeet’s sister called, worried that he was not answering her calls. Despite calling him earlier in the day, his phone was now switched off. As concern grew, they began reaching out to his contacts, all with the same result.
As the worry escalated, people began searching for him, and hours later, they discovered his car abandoned in the middle of the Srinagar-Muzafarabad national highway.
At that moment, her world shattered. Darkness consumed everything. It felt like hell.
Sitting in a corner of their home’s second-story room, the wife shared with Kashmir Despatch, “I’ve lost faith in the system. A corrupt system has taken away my dedicated and honest husband. Who is responsible? Who is the murderer? We demand justice. We demand an inquiry. We call for a CBI investigation. What wrong had he done? Our family is well-settled, I earn, my daughter is a doctor, my son is employed. Why is the system so heartless? Why did my husband have to take this step? Why?”
