Families of victims devastated by circulation of LJHP tragedy videos

Baramulla, Jul 15: Unable to come out of grief, the grieving families of the Lower Jhelum Power Project (LJHP) canal tragedy on Tuesday made a fervent appeal to the social media users, urging them not to upload or share photos or videos of the victims, saying it affects them both mentally and emotionally.

The canal drowning incident, which occurred on Sunday, claimed the lives of three persons – two minors and an adult.

The trio, hailing from Srinagar and Budgam districts, was on a picnic trip to the canal along with a local youth when the tragedy struck.

The incident which shook the entire Kashmir highlighted the insensitiveness of the social media users, who continue uploading pictures and videos of bodies even after three days.

The families of the victims have appealed to people to desist from sharing such content, as it disturbs them emotionally.

So far, the social media users have not desisted even from sharing the videos of minor victims, which is prohibited under the Juvenile Justice Act.

A relative of one of the victims, while appealing on social media, said, “We are disturbed and devastated by the tragic incident, which claimed the lives of our dear ones. Now, sharing the videos of the victims repeatedly on social media platforms further disturbs us and drains us emotionally. We request everyone to kindly stop this and respect our emotions,” he said.

The trend of content creators, social media users, and Facebook pages competing to upload sensational videos of the victims, often with voiceovers dramatising the tragedy, needs to be stopped as it disregards the pain of those affected.

Zaffar Ahmad, a social activist, said that apart from legality, humanity also does not allow us to share such videos repeatedly, as families of victims, while going through such videos get emotionally and mentally drained.

“It is unfortunate that people do not understand the sensitivity around such incidents. The more disturbing is when videos of minor victims are shared, which is both unethical and illegal,” Ahmad said. “The authorities need to monitor and take necessary action against those violating the privacy of the families of the victims.”