Beas tragedy: Third body recovered, one still missing

The body of another teenager was recovered from the Beas on Thursday evening, raising the death toll to three in the tragic drowning incident that occurred on Baisakhi.

Local divers from Peerewal village have discovered the body of Vishaldeep Singh, who had been missing for five days. Vishaldeep was the younger brother of Arshdeep Singh, whose body had been recovered earlier along with that of Jaspal Singh. The fourth youth, Gurpreet Singh, remains untraced.

According to the police, the four teenagers — residents of Peerewal village — had gone to the Beas to bathe and celebrate the festival of Baisakhi when they were swept away by strong currents. Despite immediate search efforts, only two bodies were recovered the same day.

A combined team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel and local divers carried out extensive search operations for three consecutive days. An NDRF team member stated that they covered nearly 15 km of the river during their search, but eventually had to suspend operations after failing to locate the remaining bodies.

The loss has cast a pall of gloom over Peerewal village.

Speaking to reporters, Sarpanch Harjinder Singh said villagers had earlier decided not to cremate the recovered bodies until all four were found. However, due to advanced decomposition, families have now agreed to perform the last rites for the three recovered boys.

Villagers also expressed their anguish over the lack of response from the district administration. “Not a single senior officer has visited the bereaved families to offer condolences,” said a resident. Community members have also criticised the state government for failing to announce any ex gratia relief or financial assistance to the affected families.

With the third body now recovered, the families and villagers remain hopeful that Gurpreet’s body will be found soon.

The tragedy has sparked renewed calls for the administration to ensure safety measures and signage at vulnerable spots, especially during festivals when many visit the riverbanks.

Jalandhar