Assam: Eminent singer, director Ramen Barua remains untraced
Guwahati, Jul 23: Assam Police have launched a massive search for eminent singer, music composer and director Ramen Barua, who has been missing since Monday, a police officer said.
Eighty-four-year-old Barua had left his home in Latasil area of Guwahati on Monday morning for a nearby temple but did not return home till late in the evening, when his family members lodged a missing complaint with the police.
According to available CCTV footage, he was last spotted near the new Gauhati High Court building adjacent to the temple around 10.15 am on Monday, the police officer said.
His mobile phone has been switched off since Monday and its last location was traced to an area behind the high court.
Popular singer Zubeen Garg joined the police in the search and till late on Monday, visited various parts of the city, including Lachit Ghat, Kamakhya Temple, Sukreswar Temple, Bhootnath Temple and Uzan Bazar Ghat.
An eyewitness informed the police that Barua was seen near Kachari Ghat on the banks of Brahmaputra on Monday, following which the NDRF and SDRF conducted a search along the river from Kachari Ghat to Pandu Ghat on Tuesday morning.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that he was deeply concerned by the sudden disappearance of Barua.
"His absence worries his family, friends, and countless admirers. I have asked Commissioner of @GuwahatiPol Sri Diganta Bora to mobilise all resources and take swift action to locate him," Sarma said in a late night post on X.
A radio artiste of fame, Barua has composed music for several Assamese films including 'Dr Bezbarua', 'Baruar Songsar', 'Mukuta', 'Lalita', 'Kokadeuta', 'Nati Aru Hati' among others.
Barua comes from a family of filmmakers, singers, music composers, artists, sportspersons and entrepreneurs and their over 100-year-old house in Latasil area is a prominent landmark of the city.
I am deeply concerned about the sudden disappearance of Sri Ramen Baruah, missing since this morning. His absence worries his family, friends, and countless admirers. I have asked Commissioner of @GuwahatiPol Sri Diganta Bora to mobilize all resources and take swift action to…
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 22, 2024
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MP cruise boat tragedy: Death toll rises to nine; search ops continue at Bargi Dam
Jabalpur (PTI): The death toll in the Bargi Dam tragedy rose to nine on Friday, as rescuers recovered the bodies of five more persons who were on the cruise boat that overturned in the reservoir in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur.
Talking to PTI Videos, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Minister Dharmendra Bhav Singh Lodhi said, "Four bodies were recovered on Thursday, while five were found in the early hours during the rescue operation, taking the toll to nine."
As many as 22 people have been rescued so far, he said.
The minister said that a thorough probe will be conducted, and the issue of life jackets, raised by one of the survivors, will also be investigated.
The rescue operation is underway in full swing to trace the missing persons, Lodhi said.
A cruise boat with 29 passengers and two crew members onboard overturned in the Bargi Dam after encountering a sudden storm on Thursday evening, officials said.
The Bargi Dam is constructed on the Narmada River in Jabalpur district.
A search and rescue operation for the missing passengers continued overnight with teams from the Army, NDRF and SDRF joining in, State PWD Minister Rakesh Singh said.
Hydraulic cranes are being used to pull out the cruise boat from the water body, he said.
According to eyewitnesses, strong winds made the water choppy, prompting many on board to raise an alarm and ask the crew to steer the boat back to the banks.
However, the crew was unable to hear these shouts, and the boat drifted and then overturned, they said, adding that some locals rescued a few passengers wearing life jackets with the help of a rope.
