A member of Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj communication team reportedly went missing while travelling from Ranchi in Jharkhand to Patna in Bihar aboard the Jan Shatabdi Express on Monday.
Devpalik Gupta, who worked as a digital communication manager for the Jan Suraaj Party, is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) in Delhi.
According to news agency PTI, Gupta boarded the train at Ranchi railway station with his friends and colleagues. The train departed at around 2.25 pm, and Gupta told them about 10 minutes later that he was heading to the pantry car to get something to eat. However, he did not return.
Search launched after complaint at Muri Junction
Gautam Kumar, a friend and colleague of Gupta, said the group went to the pantry car next to their coach to look for him but could not find him. They subsequently searched every coach on the train, but Gupta was nowhere to be found.
When the train stopped at Muri Junction, the group lodged a complaint with the Government Railway Police (GRP).
Sanjeev Singh, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) inspector at Muri Junction, told PTI that officials were examining CCTV footage from the station. He said it had been established that Gupta did not get off the train at Muri, its first stop after Ranchi. His mobile phone was also switched off.
A joint team comprising local police and RPF personnel has been searching for Gupta, another official said. Further details were awaited.
Bihar Legislative Council election results being counted
Meanwhile, counting of votes for the biennial elections to eight Bihar Legislative Council seats is underway amid tight security.
The results will determine the electoral fate of 90 candidates contesting four graduates’ constituency seats and 60 candidates in four teachers’ constituencies.
Polling took place on October 23, with turnout recorded at 82.85% in the teachers’ constituencies and 53.42% in the graduates’ constituencies.
The Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Kosi graduates’ constituencies had a combined 4.92 lakh eligible voters. The Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Saran teachers’ constituencies had 40,253 eligible voters.