Darchula Tuin Incident: Investigation Committee holds discussion in Baitadi

The investigation team formed to probe into the missing of Jaya Singh Dhami in the Mahakali River held a discussion with stakeholders in Baitadi today.

The team led by the joint-secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs Janardan Gautam called a meeting with the security officials in Baitadi, according to the assistant chief district officer in Baitadi, Khagendra Bharati.

Dhami had gone missing after falling from the tuin over Mahakali River, cut off by the Indian border security personnel, on July 30. His whereabouts are not yet known. Today’s meeting dwelt on expediting the search for missing Singh.

The Mahakali River flows through Darchula, Baitadi, Dadheldhura and Kanchanpur district. Joint-secretary Gautam shared that the team had launched a search for Singh at the Jhulaghat area in Mahakali River in Baitadi immediately after the incident was brought to the notice of security officials.

Dasarath Municipality, Shivanath Rural Municipality and Pancheshwor Rural Municipality in Baitadi district are connected with Mahakali River. The district also shares 61-kilometres of the border with India.

The teams of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force (APF) have decided to routinely launch the search for missing Singh in the bordering areas between Nepal and India.

The team has returned to Kathmandu following the discussion today. The same team is scheduled to hold meetings with security officials in the districts up to Kanchanpur that are connected with the Mahakali River also which borders Nepal and India.

Locals accuse that India’s Seema Surakshya Bal (SSB) had unknotted the tuin at Byas Municipality-2 in Darchula district while Singh was travelling in to cross the mighty Mahakali River. Singh, who was travelling to district headquarters via the Indian route has been missing since then.

The technical team of the Nepal Police in Darchula district has been optimizing the technologies such as drone cameras to search for the missing.

The government on August 1 had formed an investigation team led by joint-secretary Gautam and comprising of DIG Purusottam Kandel, Director at the National Investigation Department Hutaraj Thapa, APF’s SSP Suresh Kumar Shrestha and assistant chief district officer of Darchula, Jyotsana Bhatta Joshi.

The team had visited Darchula on August 3 and held meetings with political parties’ representatives, people’s representatives, journalists, human rights defenders, locals and witnesses of the incident among others and collected the factual details relating to the incident.

The team had also made an on-site visit in both places in Nepal and India where missing Singh had travelled. The team was asked to submit its report on August 11 but the deadline for the report has been extended by a week.