No trace of DC’s father who went missing on Manimahesh trek

Even as the local administration has expanded search to the neighbouring states, there is no trace of Kinnaur Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Sharma’s father Bhani Das Sharma (67), who went missing 11 days ago during the Manimahesh Yatra in Chamba.

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Sharma, a retired teacher, was last seen on September 10, near Dhanchho before separating from his group. His bag and mobile phone were recovered from an Amritsar resident. The man worked in a community kitchen on the Manimahesh route and had found the bag and mobile phone abandoned there.

The family has announced a cash reward of Rs 2.5 lakh for anyone providing information about his whereabouts.

Sharma, a resident of Sunehar in Dharamsala, suffers from mild Alzheimer’s disease. He had embarked on the pilgrimage on September 7 with a group of relatives, but went missing near Dhanchho during the journey.

The Bharmour administration, along with teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the mountaineering institute, have been carrying out an extensive search to locate him.

“So far, there is no trace of him and efforts are on to find his whereabouts,” said Bharmour Acting Additional District Magistrate Kulbir Singh Rana. The search has spanned from Hadsar to Manimahesh Lake, including checks around the pilgrimage route and other surrounding areas like Kartik Swami Temple in Kugti. Additionally, border areas in Punjab, Jammu’s Bhaderwah and the Langera region in Churah have been combed.