Kozhikode: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday visited the family of Arjun, the truck driver who went missing after a landslide in Shirur, Karnataka, at his residence in Kannadikkal here. His family, including his parents, wife and sister, complained to the CM about the search for him not resuming in the Gangavalli River.
“Eshwar Malpe (underwater search expert) was willing to dive into the river. However, the police didn't allow it citing strong undercurrents. They warned him that an FIR would be registered if he jumped into the river,” said Arjun's sister.
The chief minister told the family that the Karnataka government had promised to restart the search for Arjun and that there was constant follow-up from the state government. The family expressed gratitude to the state government for the support so far.
Later in the day, the CM shot off a letter to his Karnataka counterpart urging him to resume search operations for Arjun. Pinarayi, in his letter, said the search operations which were halted earlier were supposed to resume today, but they haven't. "I write this to share the anxiety and sorrow of the family members of Arjun, as he is missing for quite a long time. I was given to understand that the search operations to find Arjun were to be resumed today. Information is reaching that the operations have not yet resumed," he said in his letter. He also sought the personal intervention of Siddaramaiah for the resumption of the search operations today itself.
The search for Arjun has been stopped temporarily because of strong undercurrents in the river. Arjun was returning with a loaded truck when the incident happened. Though the search team confirmed they spotted his truck in the Gangavalli River, they said there was no human presence in it.
