A mutilated body was discovered in a deep, snow-covered gorge along the Churdhar Trek in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district. Local volunteers who found the body on Monday evening believe it belongs to 28-year-old Akshay Sahani, a resident of Panchkula, Haryana.
He had gone missing on February 26 while trekking to Churdhar peak on Mahashivratri.
The volunteers from Nohradhar reported that the body was found near the Lord Shiva statue, close to the final rest point on the trek. Since no other trekkers have been reported missing in the Churdhar region in recent months, they suspect it is Sahani.
Churdhar peak, one of the highest points in the Shivalik range, stands at an altitude of 11,965 feet in Sirmaur district. Sangrah Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sunil Kayath stated that the administration has not yet confirmed the identity of the body.
However, Sahani's parents have been informed and are on their way to Sangrah to verify if it is him. The body is being brought to Sangrah for a post-mortem and scientific tests to confirm the identity and cause of death.
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After Sahani was reported missing on February 27, the district administration launched a search operation involving a five-member State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team and police officers, led by the Station House Officer of Nohradhar police station. However, harsh weather conditions repeatedly disrupted their efforts, and they were unable to find him.
On March 2, professional trackers from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports in Manali joined the search, but they too failed due to extreme weather.
On Sunday, Mount Everest climber Baljeet Kaur also attempted to search the Churdhar valley. Ultimately, a group of volunteers from Nohradhar and nearby villages succeeded in locating the body in a deep, snowy gorge.
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