Yadav dials Uttarakhand CM seeking help to trace MP man who fell in River Ganga

Bhopal, Oct 20 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has spoken to his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami, seeking swift action to trace a man from Niwari district who went missing after falling into the River Ganga at Rishikesh.

Hemant Soni (30), a software engineer from the Prithvipur area of Niwari district, had travelled to Rishikesh with friends and reportedly fell off the Bajrang Setu bridge on October 16.

Rescue teams and local police have launched search operations, but the strong river currents are hampering the effort.

As per an official statement, Yadav spoke to Dhami over the phone on Sunday night, urging him to ensure prompt action by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and rescue agencies to locate the missing youth.

Yadav made the appeal after the missing man's family and local MLA appealed to him for help in the search, their acquaintances stated.

Hemant's uncle, Bharat Soni, released a video with a request to the chief minister.

"Honourable chief minister, please help me. My nephew travelled to Rishikesh on October 16. At night, he fell into the River Ganga from the Bajrang Setu bridge. Four days have passed, but there is no trace of his whereabouts yet," he said in the video.

"We want our nephew to return home safely. Whether the government conducts searches with a helicopter or the NDRF, we want him to be found. He is the only light of our house," Bharat Soni said.

Hemant Soni had gone to Rishikesh with a friend and a cousin.

The missing man's cousin, Amit Soni, said that Hemant left Prithvipur on October 14 with his friend Akshay Seth. He joined the duo in Delhi on October 15.

After staying in Haridwar for a day, the trio reached Rishikesh on the evening of October 16, he said.

Around 9 pm, they went to the Bajrang Setu bridge near Lakshman Jhula. The bridge was under construction and had no security guard, he said.

Hemant received a call, and he walked a little further while talking, and they suddenly heard the sound of him falling. PTI LAL ARU