Since Sunday afternoon, family members, villagers and relatives are praying for the safety of Arun Katal and six other soldiers of the Indian Army who have gone missing after being hit by an avalanche while they were on a patrol in the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
"We all are praying for the safety of all soldiers including Arun Katal who were hit by the avalanche in Arunachal. We are still hopeful that they will be rescued safely as early as possible," Praladh Singh, father of Arun Katal, one of the missing soldiers, said.
Arun Katal, a native of village Jandore village of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district is among seven soldiers of the Indian Army who have been missing since Sunday.
"On Sunday afternoon, I received a phone call from Arun's unit that he along with other soldiers, who were part of a patrol party, are missing", Praladh Singh said, adding, "We are in constant touch with Arun's unit."
After getting information about missing Arun Katal, natives of Jandore and adjoining villages rushed to his residence. Locals and relatives also joined family members to pray for the safety of the missing Army personnel.
Joined Army in 2015
Arun Katal has joined the Indian Army in 2015. After serving at different parts of the party, Arun is presently deployed at Arunachal Pradesh. He is serving in the 19 JAK Rifle which is deployed in the high-altitude area of the Kameng sector in Arunachal Pradesh.
Seven Army personnel missing
According to reports, seven Indian Army personnel have gone missing after being hit by an avalanche while they were on a patrol in the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
Quoting police sources, a local newspaper of Arunachal Pradesh reported that the avalanche reportedly struck when the personnel of the 19 JAK Rifles were on a routine foot patrol at Kholong Point, four kilometres from Subhash Hut, on Sunday.
According to the defence spokesperson, the rescue operation has been launched to trace out the missing army personnel in the avalanche-prone area. Specialized teams have been airlifted to assist in the rescue operation. The area has been witnessing inclement weather with heavy snowfall for the last few days, the defence spokesperson said.
Praying for the safety of Army personnel hit by the avalanche in Arunachal, and hope that they be rescued safely as early as possible.
— Pema Khandu པདྨ་མཁའ་འགྲོ་། (@PemaKhanduBJP) February 7, 2022
Indian Army has always stood by us whenever in difficulties. We earnestly pray that no harm comes to our brave Jawans.@adgpi https://t.co/XrEw17yb8W
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pema Khandu prayed for the safety of the personnel. "Praying for the safety of Army personnel hit by the avalanche in Arunachal, and hope that they be rescued safely as early as possible," he tweeted.
"The Indian Army has always stood by us. We earnestly pray that no harm comes to our brave jawans," Khandu said.