Seven Days On, No Trace: Potka couple among 32 missing on Mansarovar yatra
PINAKI MAJUMDAR Jamshedpur, September 1: Seven days after a devastating flood struck the Nepal-Tibet border region, anxiety continues to grip Haldipokhar in…
PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, September 1: Seven days after a devastating flood struck the Nepal-Tibet border region, anxiety continues to grip Haldipokhar in East Singhbhum’s Potka block, with no confirmed information yet on the whereabouts of a local couple who were part of a 32-member Indian tourist group travelling to Mansarovar.
The families of Manash Kumar Ghosh (63) and his wife Dipali Sarkar (62) are anxiously awaiting news as the couple continues to figure on the missing list and has not been included among those rescued.
Speaking to The Jharkhand Story over the phone, Soumyajit Ghosh, nephew of Manash Ghosh, said the family remained deeply worried over the lack of information.
“We are very much worried as my uncle and aunt’s names still figure in the missing list and not in the rescue list. My cousin brother and sister had left for Nepal, where my sister has given samples for a DNA test,” he said.
According to Soumyajit, CCTV footage has provided some information about the couple’s movements on the morning of August 26, when the tragedy occurred.
The footage reportedly showed Manash and Dipali, along with other members of their tour group, completing immigration formalities on the Nepal side of the Nepal-Tibet border at around 8.15 am.
They subsequently proceeded towards the China side for further immigration formalities at around 9.15 am. The group was then expected to board a bus and continue towards Mansarovar through the China route.
There has been no confirmed information about the couple since then, the family said.
32-member group travelled from Kolkata
The 32-member group had travelled from Kolkata for the Mansarovar pilgrimage. According to information available with the family, the tour was organised through Indian travel agency Cholo Jai Travels, in association with Samrat Tour and Travels Nepal.
The missing group reportedly includes several other tourists, among them the daughter-in-law of former minister Mukul Roy.
Couple has academic background
Manash Ghosh, a scientist associated with the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Jadavpur, retired around three years ago.
His wife, Dipali Sarkar, originally from Haldipokhar in Potka block, retired about two years ago as Dean of the Physics Department at Gauhati University.
Their disappearance has cast a pall of anxiety over Haldipokhar, around 30 km from Jamshedpur, with relatives, neighbours and well-wishers anxiously waiting for news.
The family has appealed to the administration, rescue agencies and others involved in the search operation to intensify efforts to locate the missing tourists and provide timely updates.
For the Ghosh family, every passing day has deepened the uncertainty. Despite the anguish, however, relatives continue to hope that Manash and Dipali will be found safe and reunited with their family.
