When Bengaluru trekker spotted CEC Rajiv Kumar stranded at 12,000 ft in remote Uttarakhand village

The helicopter was on its way to Milam Glacier but had to makes an emergency landing in Ralam village due to cloudy weather and low visibility.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar was forced to spend a night in sub-zero temperatures in a remote village in Uttarakhand after his helicopter made an emergency landing due to bad weather. Kumar, along with two pilots and two election officials, was en route to inspect polling stations in the high-altitude Milam Glacier region when poor visibility forced their helicopter to land in Ralam village, 42 km from Munsiyari, on Wednesday afternoon.

The helicopter, which took off at around 1 pm, was grounded by cloudy skies just 30 minutes later, said Vinod Girish Goswami, District Magistrate of Pithoragarh. The group, stranded at an altitude of 12,000 feet, spent the night in an uninhabited house in the deserted hamlet, enduring freezing conditions with limited supplies.

With no electricity or communication in the area, the only link to the outside world was a satellite phone carried by Kumar, reported The Times of India quoting Goswami.

Bengaluru trekker spotted CEC
The group was discovered by a trekker from Bengaluru and his two porters, who provided instant noodles and lit a bonfire to help them stay warm, according to the TOI report.

“The hamlet is deserted as its residents have moved to lower valleys for the winter, leaving the area without electricity or communication facilities. The only connection to the outside world was a satellite phone carried by the CEC,” TOI quoted Goswami as saying.

Despite inclement weather, rescue teams, including two groups from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and a team of local villagers, were dispatched to assist the stranded officials. The local team arrived around 1:20 am, while the ITBP trekked over 20 km and reached the site by 5 am on Thursday.

By morning, once the weather cleared, the helicopter was able to take off, and the CEC and others were transported safely to Munsiyari. They were later flown back to Dehradun, with authorities confirming they were in good health.

The CEC had been visiting remote polling stations to understand the challenges faced by election staff and voters in these high-altitude regions. Known for his hands-on approach, Kumar had previously trekked to distant polling stations in Uttarakhand to improve access for election officials.