Missing for nine days, former Sikkim minister R.C. Poudyal, 80, was found dead in a canal near Siliguri in West Bengal on Tuesday. His body was found floating in the Teesta Canal at Fulbari. He was identified through the watch and clothes he was wearing, PTI reported. Prima facie, a police officer told the news agency, it appears that the body was likely brought downstream by the Teesta River.
According to the PTI report, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to search for the veteran politician after he went missing on July 7 from his hometown of Chota Singtam in Sikkim's Pakyong district. The officer said police would investigate the cause of death.
Poudyal’s Career In Politics
Poudyal served as deputy speaker in the first Sikkim Assembly, and is also a former state forest minister. He played an important role in the Himalayan state's political landscape during the late 1970s and 1980s, after establishing the Rising Sun Party.
Chief Minister P.S. Tamang has expressed his condolences to Poudyal's bereaved family.
"I am deeply saddened by the sudden demise of the Late Shri R.C. Poudyal Jyu, a statesman and distinguished senior political leader who had served the Sikkim Government in various capacities, including as a minister..." PTI quoted Tamang as saying.