Kolkata, 07 October (H.S.) : More than a month after a devastating natural disaster struck Nepal, the fate of Sharmistha Roy Bhowmik, daughter-in-law of veteran politician Mukul Roy, remains uncertain following the Nepal government's decision to officially suspend its search and rescue operations. This development has cast serious doubts over the prospects of her safe return. Sharmistha is among the 189 Indian nationals still listed as missing in the tragedy.

Despite the prolonged lack of communication and the cessation of official rescue efforts, the family is refusing to give up. Subhranshu Roy, Mukul Roy’s son and Sharmistha’s husband, is now preparing to make a direct appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, Subhranshu could not be reached for comment following the official announcement of the rescue suspension in Nepal.

Sharmistha, a mother of two, had left her children with her husband to embark on a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar through a travel agency. According to her itinerary, the group was scheduled to depart for Mansarovar after securing a Chinese visa via Nepal. On the morning of August 26, the day catastrophic flash floods struck the region, her group was supposed to head toward the Chinese border.

Subhranshu has repeatedly claimed that during their last conversation, his wife indicated she had safely moved toward the Chinese border before the flash floods devastated the area. However, there has been no trace of her since that call, nor has her body been recovered. Her continued presence on the official missing persons list is the only thread keeping the family's hopes alive.

Amid the crisis, Subhranshu has met with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari twice. While the state government has assured him that they are maintaining constant contact with the Nepal government through the Ministry of External Affairs, no concrete information regarding Sharmistha's whereabouts has emerged. Prompted by the lack of breakthroughs, Subhranshu is now set to write a letter to the Prime Minister seeking high-level intervention.

The sheer scale of the disaster in Nepal has been staggering, with 1,455 confirmed fatalities and 5,285 people still reported missing, including 189 Indians. With search and rescue missions now officially closed, the Balendra Shah-led administration has shifted its focus entirely from relief efforts to the reconstruction of affected areas and the rehabilitation of survivors. This strategic shift in Nepal has understandably deepened the anxiety and distress of Sharmistha's family back home.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh