| In a move to support the families devastated by the August 14 cloudburst at Chasoti in Kishtwar District, authorities have decided to officially declare the 32 missing persons dead within six months.
Ordinarily, the law requires a waiting period of seven long years before a missing person can be officially declared dead. This rule, rooted in the need to safeguard against error and fraud, has its place in ordinary circumstances. But disasters like the Kishtwar cloudburst demand more than adherence to procedure; they demand compassion, pragmatism, and recognition of the realities that survivors face. By choosing to relax this rule and officially declare the 32 missing persons dead within si |