Two Sikkim students missing in Gujarat since August 28

Gangtok: Two teenage students from Sikkim have gone missing for the past 12 days in Jamnagar, Gujarat, along with a third student from Nepal. The students Paljor Tamang (14) and Dautlal Bahadur Subba (15) were studying at Pranami Global School in Jamnagar and are inhabitants of Chisopani near Singtam, about 35 kilometres from Gangtok.

According to the FIR filed at Jamnagar police station, the three students had left Navtanpuri Dham Khijda Mandir Trust on August 28 around 10 a.m. Immediately, a 7-member police team started searching for CCTV footage. After searching the footage from August 30 to September 3, they found out that the students had taken the route from Khijda temple, Scrap Market, and Setawad where they were seen on foot. Later, they halted for an hour at Sat Rasta Bus Stand reaching Khodiyar Colony. They then took a rickshaw to reach Highway Hari Hotel on Dwarka Road. Thereafter, they walked to Zankhar Patiya, then took a rickshaw to reach Khambhaliya Railway Station where they boarded an Okha Jaipur train around 10:30 pm.

On September 4, a 4-member police team reached Jaipur where they were seen in the railway station CCTV footage around 3:30 pm on August 29, taking one ticket for New Delhi.

On September 6, the police team reached Delhi and started searching CCTV footage of all the possible railway stations. The students are suspected to have boarded Sultanpur Weekly Express to reach Delhi.

Parents of Paljor Tamang addressed the media on Saturday in the State capital, claiming their son and two others have been missing since August 28. Tamang had joined the school earlier this year in January in class 8. Another student from Sikkim studying in the same school informed the parents about them missing on August 29.

Paljor Tamang’s mother Aruna Tamang told the media, “After we were informed by another student, we called the hostel they were staying. One teacher informed us that three students had gone missing from the hostel. The missing report was filed at Jamnagar police station, however, an immediate search operation was not conducted. We even informed the Sikkim Police’s Crime Branch. But upon inquiring we learned that the FIR on their missing was not even filed by the school. It was only after Sikkim Police’s intervention that an FIR was filed. However, despite that, my son has not been found.”

Blaming the school for negligence, the parents further mentioned, “We have tried all we can from our end but due to our economic constraints we are unable to go to Gujarat in search of our son. Hence we appeal to the Sikkim Government and Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay to help us in searching for our son. We will forever be grateful if our son is found.”

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