Assam labourers missing in Arunachal: 4 dead bodies recovered, toll rises to 5 

Guwahati: The dead bodies of four of the 19 Assam labourers who went missing from a camp at a border road construction site in Arunachal Pradesh’s Kurung Kumey district on July 5, were found in a steep, dense forest between Huri and Tapa village under the Damin subdivision of the district.  

According to a press release by the Kurung Kumey district administration, the decomposed bodies of Forijul Hoque, Moijal Haque, Sohar Ali, and Abul Hosen were found on Thursday. With the recovery of the four bodies, five of the 19 labourers have died. The body of Hikmat Ali, who drowned in the Furak river, was recovered earlier.

“Due to many reasons, the decomposed dead bodies could not be retrieved. The rescue operation by the Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper, which joined the search and rescue team on July 23, was suspended due to inclement weather. The IAF chopper is waiting for the weather to improve. The deputy commissioner personally monitored the search and rescue operations and directed the state police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local villagers to continue the operations till all the remaining missing labourers are found alive or dead,” the press release stated.

While two of the rescued labourers returned to their homes in Assam on Wednesday, five others are still undergoing treatment at the Chera Talo District Hospital at Koloriang, the headquarters of Kurung Kumey district.

Speaking with EastMojo, Gejum Basar, officer-in-charge of the Koloriang police station, said, “Health condition of all the five labourers undergoing treatment in the Koloriang district condition is improving. We hope to release them back to their respective homes soon.”

The labourers from lower Assam districts, including Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, and Barpeta, were engaged in road construction for a project allegedly under the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in the remote Huri area under the Damin subdivision of Arunachal Pradesh’s Kurung Kumey district. 

Two of the 19 Assam workers rescued from Arunachal Pradesh’s Kurung Kumey district narrated a harrowing tale of oppression, including being sold off by a broker for Rs 20 lakh. The two, among the ten rescued so far, returned to their hometown in Kokrajhar district of Assam on Wednesday.

Also Read: ‘Sold for Rs 20 lakh’: Rescued Assam workers recount ordeal