Search fails to locate body of Assam worker reportedly drowned near China border

There were reports that one of the labourers, who fled from a road construction site near China border, was drowned in the Furak river in Arunachal Pradesh

Updated on: Jul 20, 2022, 13:28:08 IST

By Utpal Parashar

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A team of officials sent by Kurung Kumey district administration in Arunachal Pradesh to locate the body of a missing labourer from Assam, who is suspected to have died due to drowning in a river, has failed to trace his whereabouts, officials said on Wednesday.

The search team couldn’t find the dead body of the worker who is feared drowned in the river or get any leads about the other missing workers. (Representative Image)

Nineteen labourers from Assam reportedly fled from a road construction site of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in the district bordering China on July 5 after they were denied permission to visit their homes for Eid-al-Adha.

On Monday, there were reports that the body of one of those labourers was found in the Furak river while there was no trace of the other 18. Following this, a team of officials left Koloriang, the district headquarters, on Tuesday morning to recover the body from the site located around 200 km away.

“The team reached the place where the body was reportedly seen on Tuesday evening. But there was no trace of it and the team couldn’t find any dead body, or leads about the other missing workers,” said Kurung Kumey deputy commissioner, Bengia Nighee.

“A local villager reported about sighting the dead body. But the district team couldn’t meet him on Tuesday. He has been summoned to the Damin circle office on Wednesday to get details of where exactly the body was seen and what happened to it,” he added.

The missing labourers, who belong to Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Barpeta, Baksa, Kokrajhar and Kamrup districts in Assam, are speculated to have tried to return to their homes through jungles. Search teams deployed since July 13 have failed to trace them yet.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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