Bijnor man declared dead 6 months after going missing in Dharali disaster

Bijnor: The district administration in Bijnor on Tuesday invited objections to the provisional declaration of a 30-year-old resident as dead, nearly six months after he went missing during a natural disaster in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand. Bijnor district magistrate Jasjit Kaur said that individuals wishing to submit evidence or statements may do so within 30 days from Feb 15, 2026, on any working day between 10:30 am and 5:00 pm at the office of sub-divisional magistrate. Yogesh Kumar, a resident of Mukeempur Dharmsi village, went missing after a flash flood struck Dharali village in Bhatwari tehsil of Uttarkashi on Aug 5 last year. Initial reports confirmed at least four deaths in the disaster, while more than 50 people remain unaccounted for. Yogesh's father, Lekhraj Kumar, filed an FIR at Harsil police station on Sept 10, 2025. Following the guidelines of Registrar General of India and directives from the Uttarakhand govt's Medical Health and Medical Education Section-1, the district magistrate of Uttarkashi issued an endorsement declaring Yogesh deceased on Feb 4, 2026, under the legal provision of "Presumption of Death."