Four months after Uttarkashi floods, missing Agniveer declared dead; family asks: where is the proof?

After receiving a letter from the Matwadi Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Uttarkashi, declaring Ponia “dead on a final (provisional) basis under the presumption of death”, the Hathras district administration has issued a “proclamation order inviting objections from the general public”.

Hathras SDM Raj Bahadur Singh said if “any person has an objection to the declaration of Sachin Ponia as deceased, such objections may be submitted within 30 days on any working day at the SDM’s office”.

“The notice has been issued in accordance with the letter received from the Uttarkashi district administration,” said SDM Singh.

Ponia, who hailed from Kareel village of Hathras, joined the Army’s Agnipath scheme, which recruits youths into the armed forces for a four-year period. After completing his training, he was sent on his first posting in the Uttarkashi nine-and-a-half months before the incident. He completed his graduation from Hathras before joining the Army, his family said.

Ponia’s father Chandraveer Singh, a farmer, said, “Sachin, along with others, including Army personnel, has been missing since August. They declared him dead only after a brief inquiry, despite there being no proof that he is no longer alive.”

“We are all praying for his safe return. The Hathras district administration has informed us that the Uttarakhand government has now declared him dead, and a proclamation has been issued inviting objections. We have been given 30 days and after discussing the matter with the family, we will decide our next course of action,” added Chandraveer.

Ponia’s mother Laxmi Devi is a homemaker, while his younger sister Shweta Singh is pursuing her graduation.

Even as the family continues to hope that he will return home safely, the official declaration of the Agniveer’s death has shaken them.

“He is our only son, and no one in our family has been able to accept that he is no longer alive. He last spoke to us a day before the incident,” said Chandraveer.

Since Ponia went missing, the family says they remained in regular contact with the Uttarkashi administration, repeatedly seeking updates about his whereabouts.

“Neither the Uttarakhand government nor the Uttarkashi administration have issued any letter to me regarding Sachin’s whereabouts or any decision taken in his case,” his father added.