Renewed search for '13 flood victims after trekkers spot skeletal remains

DEHRADUN: A team of trekkers who were part of the recently concluded ‘Hito Kedar’ trekking project in which over 200 trekkers took eight different routes to reach the Kedarnath shrine last week, reported sighting human skeletal remains on the route which may be of the pilgrims who had perished in the 2013 deluge. Providing details, Atul Jamloki, priest of the Triyuginarayan temple, who was leading one of the ‘Hito Kedar’ treks, told TOI, “ On October 7, while we were going up from Toshi village near Triyuginarayan, and proceeding towards Kedarnath, we suddenly spotted several skulls and bones.We could see human bones scattered elsewhere on the route as well. I am sure that if a proper search is done, many more skeletal remains can be recovered from the area.”
Manoj Rawat, organiser of the Hito Kedar treks, added that on being intimated about the finding, another trek on the route which had women and girls in it, was cancelled. “We intimated the chief minister about the issue and also submitted a detailed report to him on Thursday. We have requested that a team of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel should be sent to the area so that a dignified cremation is provided to the remains.”
CM Harish Rawat who chaired a meeting at Beejapur House after getting the report from the trekkers, directed officials in the state home department to constitute two separate search teams comprising personnel from police and SDRF to conduct renewed search operations in the area. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Rawat said that inspector-general of police (Garhwal range) Sanjay Gunjyal had been entrusted the task of conducting combing operations so that all the skeletal remains are found. “We will also try to ensure that the DNA test of these skeletons is carried out and the identities of the victims ascertained so that their cremation can be done as per their religion,” Rawat said.
Meanwhile, Raghav Langer, district magistrate of Rudraprayag was quoted by news agency PTI as saying that “the possibility of the skeletal remains belonging to pilgrims who may have perished in the 2013 disaster could not be ruled out.” “Officially, only 360 skeletons were found in the wake of the tragedy which claimed thousands of lives. It is obvious that a large majority of them remained untraced. The pilgrims must have run in different directions for life and died in far removed pockets.Nothing can be ruled out in such circumstances,” he said.