Wayanad's 'super hero' rescuer, who risked his life to save many, now 'missing'
Wayanad (Kerala) (PTI): Local lad Prajeesh drove his jeep up through the treacherous hill path twice and returned with many hapless people who were stranded atop after the deadly landslides hit Wayanad's high-range Mundakkai last week.
Just before he could move to safety came a phone call for a third 'mission,' but the ever popular localite is now missing, his damaged jeep seen at Chooralmala, leading to both fears of the worst and hopes for good news.
Risking his own life, the young man drove the vehicle up the hill for a third time but lost himself midway in the gushing flood water and mud and the barrage of huge boulders that rolled down the mountains.
That was the heartbreaking story of Prajeesh, who had plunged into a rescue mission and saved the precious lives of many people after the news about the devastating landslides broke out in the hamlets here in the wee hours of July 30.
With heavy heart and teary eyes, the people of Chooralmala village now call him their "super hero."
Hailing from landslide-hit Chooralmala, Prajeesh was already popular among the villagers for his ever-ready-to-help anyone attitude, local people said.
A villager said that after hearing about the first series of landslides that hit Mundakkai hamlet, Prajeesh drove up the hill twice at his own risk and came back with many individuals who were stranded there.
"After that, he was about to shift to a safer place with his family members. Suddenly, he got another phone call, following which he again drove up the hill...but this time, he did not return," he said.
Prajeesh's damaged jeep was later found down in Chooralmala town, the man said, adding no one has seen him since then.
Another villager said Prajeesh had been an inevitable presence in all the activities in the village and a favourite of everyone.
"Whether it is a marriage or funeral, he will be there from beginning to end. Like many other people, he personally helped me also a lot, especially during the marriage of my daughter," he said.
Prajeesh's friends said they warned him not to go to the hill when he began his journey for the third time. But he didn't heed them, saying there were more people trapped in Mundakai and that he wanted to save them.
"Prajeesh was the super hero of our land...But we have lost him now," an emotional villager said.
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UP Cong chief Ajay Rai hospitalised after fainting, stable
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai was hospitalised here after he fell unconscious due to low sodium levels, party leaders said on Saturday.
They said he was admitted to Medanta Hospital on Friday evening and is stable.
"Ajay Rai was admitted to Medanta Hospital in Lucknow at around 6 pm on Friday after he fell unconscious as his sodium levels had dropped. He fell unconscious at his residence in Lucknow. For the entire day, he was engaged in party programmes and had also gone to the airport," Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi told PTI.
Congress in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Avinash Pande told PTI, "Now, he (Ajay Rai) is stable and I am also reaching Lucknow."
Medanta Hospital Director Dr Rakesh Kapoor told PTI that Rai collapsed at his home on Friday evening and was subsequently admitted to the hospital's emergency ward.
Medical examinations revealed that Rai was suffering from a sodium deficiency and elevated blood pressure. Doctors administered immediate treatment and he is doing significantly better now, Kapoor said.
A team of doctors is monitoring his health. Rai is conversing with others and his condition is stable, he added.
In a post on X late Friday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Rai a speedy recovery.
Rai hails from Varanasi and had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections against Modi from the parliamentary constituency. The Congress appointed him as the Uttar Pradesh unit chief in 2023.
