Two US citizens among 8 pilgrims from Amritsar missing in U’khand
GOPESHWAR(CHAMOLI)/AMRITSAR: A complaint has been lodged after the families of eight Sikh pilgrims from Punjab failed to establish contacts with them since July 6. The pilgrims had left from Punjab for Hemkunt Sahib gurdwara in Uttarakhand.
Luvpreet Singh of Amritsar has complained that eight pilgrims, including two US citizens, had come to Hemkunt Sahib from Amritsar on July 6 by an Innova (PB-06-AB-5472). There has been no information since the driver called his family to inform that they were returning after having paid their obeisance at the gurdwara.
Tripti Bhatt, SP of Chamoli, said, “CCTV footages are being checked at various places along with the physical inspection of all the hotels, gurdwaras and dharamshalas (inns) in the district.”
“Adjoining districts have been informed about the missing car and the pilgrims and a telephone number (01372252134) has been flashed all over the state to obtain any information about them,” she added. The forest department too has been asked to look for them along the rivers.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in New Delhi established contact with the Amritsar administration to know about the two Sikh US citizens, Harkewal Singh and Premjit Singh, who are missing along with six Indian nationals, Kirpal Singh, Jasbir Singh, Harpal Singh, Varinder Singh, Kulbir Singh and driver Manga Singh.
Harpal and Varinder are from Dalla village in Gurdaspur while the others are from Chowk Mehta in Amritsar. The US citizens had also come to Chowk Mehta to meet family friends and left for the pilgrimage on July 1.
Some of the pilgrims contacted families on July 6 from Gobind Ghat and said they were returning. Their phones are switched off since.
US embassy officials on Thursday rang up Amritsar deputy commissioner Kamaldeep Singh Sangha to know about its two citizens. The DC said, “I informed them that there is no input yet.”
The families too met the DC. “I have also asked the police commissioner, Amritsar, SS Srivastava, to extend help and locate the missing persons,” he added.