Loss of Arunachal's 'Laughing Buddha' irreparable: Takam Sanjoy

Tawang: The untimely demise of popular Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Dorjee Khandu, who was also known as 'Laughing Buddha' for bringing smiles on the faces of people of the state is irreparable, which cannot be fulfilled in near future, said Member of Parliament Takam Sanjoy.

Sanjoy, who is also heading the 'Local Coordination Crisis Management Committee', to monitor the rescue and search operations, told reports at the Circuit House here that the team covered entire targeted areas of Dirang range, which includes Nagar GG, Jinda Pahar and Sella range as per the inputs given by army and intelligence.

He said Brig. R S Thakur, Brigade commander, Sella-Baishaki, assisted him in a search operation and they had a foot march from Sella point to Banga Janga.

Dorjee - a grassroot activist who rose to become CM

Sanjoy, however, said that they could reach upto seven kilometers due to the heavy snowfall.

He further informed that on way back from seven kilometers from point of Banga Janga road, at about 10.30 a.m., the local rescue committee at Sella point provided information that the missing chopper has been received from Thuten, ASM of Luguthang village, by the District Administration through WLL network.

Sanjoy said that on reaching at Tawang it was informed that the ill-fated chopper hit the big hanging V rock near Luguthang village and got crushed.

"To ascertain the information the Indian Air Force Choppers were immediately press into service, but in the first attempt it could not succeed. In the second attempt the captain of the chopper manage to reach the crash site and got digital photograph of deceased and scattered parts of the Helicopter," said Sanjoy.

"The missing chopper has been traced out and the information about Honourable Chief Minister is confirmed," he added.

Sanjoy further said: "The local coordination crisis management committee of Tawang was held in chamber of Deputy Commissioner where strategies were drawn for immediate retrieving of dead bodies. Tomorrow onwards the Air force chopper will be press into service right from 5.00 am in the morning."

"With the coordinated efforts of Defence personnel's, District Administration, Civil Police and Civilians the dead bodies could be brought to Tawang within 6-7 hours. The body of Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu shall be straight away taken to Itanagar for giving State Honour as per protocol. However, last rites shall be performed at Tawang," he added.

A pale of gloom descended on Arunachal Pradesh with the break of the news of recovery of the bodies of Chief Minister Khandu and four others and the ill-fated Pawan Hans helicopter at Keyla, near Luguthang in Tawang district this morning.

The B3 single-engine and four-seater copter went missing with Khandu, his security officer Yeshi Chodak, Yeshi Lhamu, sister of Tawang MLA Tsewang Dhondup and two pilots on board last Saturday after taking off from the Tawang heliport at 9.56 a.m.

It was to land at Itanagar at 1130 a.m., but its contact with Guwahati ATC was lost at 10.20 a.m. near Sella Pass at 13,700 feet.

Khandu had left for Tawang on April 27 to receive Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar the next day, but her trip was cancelled due to inclement weather.

Meanwhile, Union Ministers V Narayansamy and Mukul Wasnik, who have been monitoring the situation here since May 1 and apprising the PMO and Congress president, left for New Delhi this morning to hold parleys with the party high command to name the new leader.