A Bengaluru trekker spotted CEC Rajiv Kumar stranded in Uttarakhand village

The trekker spotted Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar stranded at 12,000 ft. in a remote Uttarakhand village.

The helicopter that Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv traveled in was on its way to Milam Glacier; however, due to cloudy weather and low visibility, it had to make an emergency landing in Ralam village. After the emergency landing, Rajiv Kumar was forced to spend a night in sub-zero temperatures in a remote village in Uttarakhand.

CEC Rajiv Kumar stranded in remote Uttarakhand village.

Due to cloudy weather and low visibility, CEC Rajiv Kumar’s helicopter had to make an emergency landing. On Wednesday afternoon, he, along with two pilots and two election officials, was en route to inspect polling stations in the high-altitude Milam Glacier region when they had to land in Ralam village, 42 km from Munsiyari due to bad weather.

The group was stranded at an altitude of 12,000 feet.

District Magistrate of Pithoragarh, Vinod Girish Goswami, said the helicopter that took off around 1 pm was grounded by cloudy skies just 30 minutes later. The group, stranded at an altitude of 12,000 feet, spent the night in an uninhabited house in the deserted hamlet, enduring freezing conditions with limited supplies. There was no electricity or communication in the area, and the only link to the outside world was a satellite phone carried by Kumar, as The Times of India reported, quoting Goswami.

Bengaluru trekker spots CEC Rajiv Kumar.

The group was discovered by a trekker from Bengaluru and his two porters. They provided them with instant noodles and lit a bonfire to help them stay warm, as per a TOI report. TOI quoted Goswami as saying, “The hamlet is deserted as its residents have moved to lower valleys for the winter, leaving the area without electricity or communication facilities. The only connection to the outside world was a satellite phone carried by the CEC.”

To assist the group, despite the bad weather, rescue teams, including two groups from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and a team of local villagers, were dispatched. The local team arrived at 1.20 am, while the ITBP trekked over 20 km and reached the site by 5 am on Thursday. After the weather improved by morning, the helicopter took off, and CEC and others were transported safely to Munsiyari. They were later flown back to Dehradun, and the authorities confirmed their good health.