Search is on for Jay Singh Dhami, missing in Mahakali river: Home Minister

Minister for Home Affairs Bal Krishna Khand has said the search continues for 33-year-old Jay Singh Dhami who has gone missing in the Mahakali river in Darchula district.

Informing the meeting of the House of Representatives today on a topic of public importance, the Home Minister said nine police units from Lali to Dumling under the District Police Office, Darchula, and the five Border Security bases of the Armed Police Force (APF) have been searching for the missing man.

The local levels were also coordinating with the bordering districts Baitadi and Kanchanpur as well in this connection, he added.

Dhami, a resident of Khangdang Mal, Byas rural municipality-2, has gone missing after he fell into the Mahakali river on July 30 while crossing the river through a tuin (ropeway bridge) on his way towards Gastu of India from Mulghat, Byas rural municipality-2.

Three persons including one Narendra Singh Dhami had filed an application to the District Police Office Darchula after Dhami went missing falling in the river. The same day, a team of three security personnel had been mobilised to the incident site for conducting an onsite investigation, at the direction of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The team included APF Deputy Superintendent Narendra Bahadur Chand from the APF Battalion No 44 and Bikram Singh of the National Investigation District Office.

Home Minister Khand informed the House that the District Administration Office Darchula has written to the District Magistrate of Pithouragadh, India, drawing the attention of the latter over the incident.

He added that the police are collecting information from Bahadur Singh Dhami, Amarsingh Dhami, Gaur Singh Dhami, and Maniram Singh Dhami, who had crossed the river over to India using the same tuin before Jay Singh.

Anita Dhami, Bikram Rankoli and Kalyan Dhami, left to cross the river, have been called at the District Headquarters to enquire about the incident, an all-party meeting was held at the District Administration Office, Darchula, and national disaster response force and SSB of India have been carrying out a search for Dhami, added Home Minister Khand.

He briefed the House that a probe committee formed under the coordination of Joint-Secretary of the Home Minister from Home Ministry level decision on August 1 to find out fact and reality into the case has already headed towards the incident site.

Deputy Inspector General of Nepal Police, Purushottam Kandel, Investigation Officer of the National Investigation Department, Hutraj Thapa, Senior Superintendent of Armed Police Force, Suresh Kumar Shrestha, and Assistant Chief District Officer of Darchula, Jyotsana Bhatta (Joshi), are the members of the probe committee.

He shared that tuins are still used to enter the Indian border from Nepal and four suspension bridges are under construction in the Mahakali River.

Lawmakers—Khagaraj Adhikari, Yogesh Bhattarai, Gagan Kumar Thapa, Sher Bahadur Tamang, Shanta Chaudhary, Bimala BK, Ganesh Singh Thagunna, Mahesh Basnet, Devendra Raj Kandel, Dilendra Prasad Badu, Pushpa Bhusal, Dila Sangraula Panta, Padam Giri, Rajendra Kumar KC, Yasoda Subedi, Prem Suwal, and Bishal Bhattarai posted counter questions to the statement of the Home Minister.