Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 13: Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti visited the residence of boatman Ghulam Mohammad Guroo in Rajbagh area here today who died while saving a group of tourists in river Jhelum.
Without caring for his life, Guroo jumped into the water after his Shikara carrying the tourists, capsized in river Jhelum near Fateh Kadal bridge. While Guroo rescued all the tourists, he himself died of drowning while retrieving the personal belongings of the tourists from the river.
Body of the 60-year-old boatman was today fished out from Jhelum.
Paying rich tributes to late Guroo, the Chief Minister said his demise symbolizes the real spirit of compassion and valiance where a Kashmiri can give the extreme sacrifice of even his life to safeguard the lives of his guests. She said there are not many instances of such valiance where a person can go to the extent of sacrificing his life to uphold the Kashmir’s age-old and illustrious traditions of hospitality and harmony.
“This is the real essence of Kashmiriyat,” she said and added that the poor boatman, without caring for his family, sacrificed his life to save his tourists.
The Chief Minister ordered disbursement of Rs 1 lakh ex-gratia in cash on the spot. She also assured the family of whatever possible help from the Government.
Secretary Tourism, Er Farooq Ahmad Shah also accompanied the Chief Minister.
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