JAMMU: Months after a devastating cloudburst in Kishtwar district claimed dozens of lives, families of those still missing continue to live in limbo, grappling with grief, uncertainty and what they describe as administrative apathy.
Among them are Rajesh Kumar and Bindiya, residents of Jalandhar in Punjab, who have been shuttling between hope and acceptance while searching in Jammu for answers about their 22-year-old daughter Vanshika and her friend Disha, who went missing during the tragedy in August last year.
Another family from Jammu lost eight members in the same incident. The families say they are not seeking compensation but official acknowledgement in the form of death certificates, which would allow them to perform last rites and find closure.
The cloudburst struck Chisoti village, the gateway to the Machail Mata temple, on August 14, 2025, killing 65 people, mostly pilgrims, and leaving over 30 others missing.
Holding photographs of Vanshika and Disha, Rajesh Kumar and Bindiya were among several affected families who gathered outside the Press Club Jammu on Wednesday, demanding justice and clarity.
“We were walking together when our daughter and her friend went ahead of us and vanished without a trace. We are desperately waiting for some news and seeking justice,” a distraught Bindiya said.
She alleged that the Jammu and Kashmir administration has done little to address their plight. “We were called for DNA sampling in September, but no report has been shared with us till date,” she said.
Echoing her concerns, Rajesh Kumar said the family had made repeated efforts to trace the missing women. “We submitted affidavits to the sub-divisional magistrate for death certificates and gave DNA samples on September 8, but there has been no response so far,” he said.
Kumar added that the family has not received any compensation either. “Our daughter and her friend were MBA students. We only want the government to issue death certificates so that we can perform the necessary rituals,” he said.
A similar ordeal was shared by Ramesh Kumar, a resident of Resham Garh Colony, Jammu, who lost eight relatives, including two sisters, in the tragedy.
“We managed to retrieve only one body. Seven people — three women and four children — are still missing. We are not asking for money; we want justice and death certificates before the six-month period since the incident ends,” he said.
He said his sister and her two children, a seven-year-old girl and a five-year-old boy, are among those missing.
Alleging mismanagement from the outset, Ramesh Kumar said, “My friends helped me retrieve the lone body from the site. No one from the administration came forward to help. Our parents are shattered. We want the missing to be declared dead so that we can at least perform the last rites.”
