The rains did not care that it was Independence Day eve.
On Friday evening, as the rest of India prepared for flag-hoisting ceremonies, Arunachal Pradesh was being swallowed — roads buried, shelters washed away, men gone. In two separate incidents triggered by heavy monsoon downpours, four people lost their lives in a landslide and five Army personnel went missing in a flash flood, leaving families and rescue teams scrambling through the night.
Workers Buried Alive at Road Construction Site
The landslide struck the Keojaring-Byaching road cutting site in Upper Subansiri district without warning. Workers at the construction site never stood a chance — the hillside gave way and buried them under a wall of debris. Four men were killed: Tadu Baki, Taji Rai, Markosh Basumatari, and Babul Ali. Of the four, only the body of Babul Ali had been recovered as of Saturday morning. The others are still being dug out from under the earth. Personnel from the Nacho police station were quickly deployed, with Fire and Emergency Services rushing from Daporijo and a State Disaster Response Force team mobilised to assist. It’s the kind of scene that becomes all too familiar in these hills every monsoon season — and yet it never gets easier to report.
Flash Flood Sweeps Away Army Shelters in Dibang Valley
Nearly 400 kilometres away, the situation at the Pasu Pani Army Camp in Dibang Valley turned catastrophic the same evening. A sudden flash flood tore through the camp of the 5th Grenadier, washing away two shelters completely. Seven Army personnel were swept into the raging waters. Two were pulled out alive. Five remain missing — identified as Havaldar Upendar and soldiers Kundan, Vinod, Aditya, and Samunda. These are real names. Real people. And somewhere out there in the Dibang wilderness, teams are still looking for them.
Massive Multi-Agency Search Underway
Two rescue teams from the 5th Grenadier are actively searching the area. Joining them are personnel from the 58th Battalion of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the 62 Road Construction Company of the General Reserve Engineer Force, the Arunachal Pradesh Police, and local volunteers who know these terrains better than anyone. An additional SDRF team from Pasighat is en route to Anini to bolster the effort. The State Emergency Operations Centre confirmed both incidents and said operations are ongoing.
A State That Cannot Afford to Look Away
Arunachal Pradesh has been battered by floods and landslides this monsoon season — and the government recently announced a Rs 7,834-crore infrastructure push to address the recurring damage. But infrastructure plans take years. Right now, what matters most is finding Havaldar Upendar and his four fellow soldiers before another night falls on those hills.
The mountains gave, and they took. The search goes on.
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