Dehradun: After receiving his degree at the convocation ceremony on July 27, an IIT graduate, Rupin planned to visit the Kedarnath shrine to pay his respects to Lord Shiva. During his return journey, he went missing following the cloudburst incident in the Kedar valley on July 31.
Since then, his father has been searching every possible location along the Kedarnath trek route, which was severely damaged by the deluge. Accompanied by his friend’s son, he is desperately seeking any information about his missing son.
Rupin set out on this journey with his friend
An engineer from Rajasthan’s Beawar, Rupin Samariya, and his friend Dhanendra Singh had set out for a pilgrimage to Kedarnath Dham after the convocation ceremony at IIT Roorkee on 27 July. After offering the prayers on 30 July at the Kedarnath shrine, both the friends began their return journey on the 31 July morning.
As the rough weather hit the valley in the evening, Rupin and his friend decided to stay in Gaurikund but sudden overflow of the Mandakini River swept away the path ahead and Rupin disappeared in the flood waters at Tapkund. “We were 10-15 meters away from the river when the water level in Mandakini suddenly overflowed. I saw Rupin struggling with the strong current of the river and clutching the bag with his IIT degree and laptop. Later, we couldn’t find him anywhere” his friend Dhanendra recalls.
His father launches desperate search for his son
Rupin’s father, Amarchand Samaria, a resident of Ajmer Beawar city of Rajasthan and an LIC agent by profession, have been travelling across the Garhwal region in search of his son. Along with Dhanendra, he pasted posters with Rupin’s details in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Sonprayag and Dehradun for any clue of his whereabouts. He also offered a reward of Rs 51,000 for any information related to Rupin. He himself is pasting posters on the walls so that someone can tell him the whereabouts of his beloved son.
Father appealed to CM Dhami for help
For Rupin’s search, his father has lodged a complaint in Sonprayag police station and submitted a letter to Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s office for help in this matter. The Sonprayag police conducted a search for Rupin immediately after the incident but it yielded no results.
Rupin Samaria was selected for IIT Roorkee four years ago
Rupin was selected for IIT four years ago and, after completing his course, he returned to his village. On July 27, he attended the convocation ceremony at IIT Roorkee with his parents and friend Dhanendra Singh. After receiving his degree and placing it in his bag, his parents returned home while Rupin and Dhanendra set off for a trip to Kedarnath.
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