Mohd Saqib /Mahpara Bisati
DODA, Mar 2: In a district where vehicles often plunge into the turbulent waters of the Chenab River, a 28-year-old labourer from Pul area has become an unlikely first responder.
Majid Hussain, known locally as Abu Hamza, has retrieved nearly 250 bodies over the past decade amid the absence of professional divers.
He began assisting in rescue efforts at the age of 11. What started as voluntary help turned into a lifelong mission after tragedy struck his own family.
“My cousin drowned in the Chenab. We searched for days but never found his body. That is when I understood what such a loss means,” Hussain said. “From that day, this journey began.”
Doda’s steep mountain roads and deep gorges along the Chenab witness frequent accidents, with vehicles skidding off narrow stretches into the river.
According to Hussain, the lack of stationed professional divers often delays recovery.
“When an accident happens, teams come from outside. Sometimes they take days to reach. Until then, families keep waiting,” he said, adding that no certified deep diver is posted in the district.
A daily wage labourer, Hussain drops everything when news of an accident reaches him.
Often travelling without proper gear – sometimes hitching rides to remote sites – he relies largely on experience and breath control to navigate the unpredictable waters.
“In the beginning, we would go only chest-deep and tie ropes. Over time, I learned in the Chenab itself. Now I can dive nearly 50 feet and stay underwater for two to two-and-a-half minutes,” he claimed.
Initially associated with a local rescue group, Hussain later formed his own team, training young volunteers under an initiative he calls “Chenab Warriors.”
He says teams he has worked with have collectively retrieved between 500 and 600 bodies in the past 15 years, most of them accident victims.
“The Chenab is unforgiving. The current is strong and the depth uncertain. But when you see families waiting on the banks, you forget your fear,” he said. “When we hand over a body, their relief keeps us going,” he added.
Despite repeated risks, Hussain says he has neither sought compensation nor official recognition.
However, he stresses the need for proper equipment and certified deep-diving training to improve rescue operations and reduce danger.
“With proper gear and training, we can do much more – not for ourselves, but for the people,” he said.
In a district prone to river tragedies, Hussain’s repeated dives into the Chenab highlight both individual resolve and the urgent need to strengthen local rescue infrastructure.
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