Uttarakhand: Missing Rajaji Tiger Reserve official found dead in canal

Rishikesh: The body of a missing Rajaji Tiger Reserve official was recovered from the Chilla canal here on Thursday, taking the death toll to five, an SDRF official said.

The tiger reserve’s wildlife warden Aloki Devi has been missing since January 7 after she fell into the canal from an electric vehicle which crashed into a tree during a trial run, killing four persons, including two forest officers. This morning, Devi’s body was found floating on the surface of the canal, which had been scoured by a team of divers since the accident occurred, SDRF inspector Kavindra Sajwan said. The body was pulled out of the water and handed over to the police, he said.

On Wednesday, the police registered a case against the representatives of the companies which manufactured and customised the electric vehicle that met with the accident during a trial run.

The FIR in the matter has been registered under various sections of the IPC, including 304A (causing death by negligence), 279 (negligent driving endangering human life) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by rash, negligent action), against the representatives of Aska and Pravaig Dynamics companies and the vehicle driver Ashwani Biju, SHO Lakshman Jhula police station Ravi Kumar Saini said.