Mahindra Patial
Bharmour
The family of a taxi driver who went missing during the sacred Manimahesh pilgrimage has once again approached the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Bharmour, urging authorities to intensify the search operation.
The driver, Surender Kumar alias Chhinda, a resident of Mamoon Sanwal, Pathankot, had brought three women doctors from Delhi to Manimahesh via Gaggal Airport on August 23. He was last seen on August 22 in Hadsar, the starting point of the trek. When the pilgrims returned on August 27, Surender was nowhere to be found. Due to poor mobile connectivity in the region, no contact could be established.
His vehicle was later found unlocked and abandoned near Pranghala, prompting an earlier search operation that yielded no results. On Saturday, Surender’s wife Yogita Singh, brother Anil Kumar, and other relatives reached Bharmour and met ADM Kulveer Singh Rana, requesting a renewed search effort.
Responding to their plea, the ADM dispatched a team comprising mountaineers and police personnel, with family members accompanying the search party. Authorities have confirmed that drone technology will be deployed to aid the operation in the rugged terrain.
ADM Rana stated that the administration is committed to locating the missing driver and has reinitiated the search based on the family’s appeal.
