Sawai Madhopur: The policemen at Soorwal police station were playing volleyball on Saturday morning when they received the alert on a bus falling into Banas River.
Little did these cops realise what they were about to witness was likely to haunt them for the rest of their lives.
"It's a sight I will never forget," said Faiyaaz Khan, head constable, Soorwal police station, which is located about 4km away from the
accident spot. He was among the first to reach the spot along with his colleagues.
On reaching the spot along with station SHO Anoop Singh and four others, he was appalled to see the bodies at the site. "I saw a little boy clinging to his mother's waist. He was breathing while the woman was dead. I took him and asked one of the ambulances to rush him to the hospital," said Khan, his voice choking voice while speaking to TOI.
Khan along with villagers and his mates, including constables Rakesh, Sangram Singh, Mukesh and Laxman Singh, jumped into the ice cold water at the spot where the bus fell. "We fished out 33 bodies. But the single image of that toddler was disturbing. Later, I was shattered after I found out that the infant had succumbed at the hospital," Khan added.
He went to offer 'namaz' in the afternoon. "Namaz pe bhi sukoon nahin thaa. Main uss bachchey ko nahin bhool sakta (I did not find peace even while offering the 'namaz'. I won't forget the child for the rest of my life)," he said.
Not just the policemen, scores of villagers from the Dubbi village were shattered with what they saw at the accident site. "Dekho woh bachche ki chappal tair rahi hai aur aurtan ki choordiyan (See, the slippers of children and bangles of women floating in the water)," said villager Ram Singh, who had arranged for a JCB for the rescue operation.
Like Singh, many other village youths of Dubbi too were left shaken by the tragedy.
