Punjabi singer’s body found in Kangra lake
Manmeet Singh, who was on a trekking trip, slipped and fell into a swollen stream; his body was later found in Kareri lake area
DHARAMSHALA: Punjabi Sufi singer Manmeet Singh’s body was found in Kareri Lake area, police said on Wednesday.
Singh, along with his brother and some friends, had gone on trekking to Kareri Lake, a highaltitude freshwater lake located at 2,934m height, south of Dhauladhar range.
Singh, a resident of Amritsar and one of the singers of Sain Brothers known for their Sufi songs, was in Dharamshala for the past few days.
“The group went hiking to Kareri Lake on Sunday and stayed there at night after torrential rains hit the region,” said Kangra superintendent of police Vimukt Ranjan. Singh was swept away in Liyun Khad while returning back to Dharamshala on Monday. He reportedly slipped and fell in the stream swollen due to overnight rains.
His brother and friends reached Kareri village seeking help and started searching for him besides informing the local administration after which a rescue team was sent there. “His body was recovered after the water level receded. The body was handed to the family after autopsy,” said Ranjan.
Three more bodies found, Boh landslide death toll rises to 8
DHARAMSHALA: The death toll in the Boh landslide rose to seven after rescue workers recovered two more bodies on Wednesday.
The deceased have been identified as 45-year-old Kanchana Devi, wife of Megnath Singh, Bhim Sen, alias Bhimo, 46, and a one-and-half-year-old girl.
Bhim Singh was the one who had sounded an alert about the landslide which saved more than 20 lives, before he and his family were swept away in the landslip. “The death toll mounted to eight after three more bodies were recovered on Wednesday. Two people are still missing,” said Kangra SP Vimukt Ranjan.
Rulehar village of Boh panchayat in Shahpur sub-division of Kangra district was hit by a landslide triggered by heavy rains on Monday morning. Five people were rescued by the locals, one body was found on the same day, while four bodies were retrieved on Tuesday.
Congress leaders visit affected villages
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Mukesh Agnihotri on Wednesday visited the affected village and and met the family members of the victims to express his condolences and grief.
He was accompanied by state Congress general secretary Kewal Singh Pathania, district Congress president Ajay Mahajan, former Member of Parliament Chandra Kumar and Members of legislative assembly (MLAS) Pawan Kajal and Ashish Butail.
Agnihotri assured all possible help to affected families, and later at a press conference, he hit out at the state government for inadequate help.
He alleged that the chief minister announced ₹4 lakh each to the kin of the deceased but no immediate help was provided to those whose houses were damaged in the tragedy.
“It’s matter of shame that the government has not provided any immediate relief to the affected families,” he said.
Agnihotri said he also visited Rajol village of the sub-division where 15 families were displaced due to the flash floods. “They told me that no help has reached them. When chief minister was visiting the area, he should have ensured that the state government’s help and aid help reaches everyone,” he said.
He said the government should rehabilitate the displaced and build houses for them. He said the state disaster response force (SDRF) should also be pressed into service in the ongoing relief work for people’s welfare.