ITANAGAR, 17 Oct: The family members of Everester Tapi Mra on Monday expressed dismay over “negligence by East Kameng Deputy Commissioner Pravimal Abhishek Polumatla, under whose jurisdiction and guidance the search and rescue (S&R) operation to locate Mra and his assistant Niku Dao failed terribly.”
The development comes following the finding of belongings and mountaineering equipment of Mra and Dao on Monday from an area beyond the second base camp of Mt Khyarii Satam in East Kameng district by the new S&R team, which included Everesters Tagit Sorang, Tana Lui, and Taru Hai.
Addressing reporters at the press club here, Mra’s sister Yatak Mra Nilo said, “We the family members have been looking out for our brother Tapi Mra for the past two months, ever since we heard about his disappearance.”
“We do not have any keen interest in coming before the press, but we are doing so out of compulsion,” Nilo said, and directly accused the DC of negligence.
“Had there been proper coordination from the DC, and had he listened to our suggestion to reduce the army troops and deploy the mountaineers on time, we could have at least saved our brothers. Instead, the DC questioned whether Taru Hai and Tagit Sorang were supermen who could go and rescue,” Yatak said, breaking down in tears.
“Earlier, I had faith that my brother would return, but seeing his belongings from the camp, which were dug out from the ice, I don’t think he will ever return,” she said, adding that Mra’s expedition “could have been a great help in terms of defence too, since the area he went to borders China.”
Nilo demanded that the DC be suspended, and also lamented the apathy of the sports department.
“I have been here at my brother’s quarters in Chimpu for two months, but till now no official from the department visited us,” she said, adding that the department had only granted movement order to Mra, who went on the expedition as the adventure promotion officer.
Mra’s family members said that the earlier S&R operation was conducted for “only an hour-and-a-half, while the whole state thought that the search mission went on for 20 days.”
The 13-member team which on Monday discovered the two mountaineers’ equipment and belongins, had voluntarily gone on the S&R mission, they said.
