Jan Suraaj’s Devpalik found dead near Ranchi

RANCHI: The body of Jan Suraaj Party’s digital communication manager Devpalik Gupta was recovered from bushes near Barwadag in Ranchi district on Tuesday, a day after he went missing while travelling from Ranchi to Patna by train, police said.

Gupta was travelling with two colleagues on the Janshatabdi Express on October 26. According to his colleagues, he went towards the pantry car near Muri station at around 3 pm but did not return. His mobile phone was subsequently found switched off.

His colleagues searched the train with the help of the ticket examiner and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel. They also searched at Muri station but failed to trace him.

The colleagues subsequently approached railway police and the Government Railway Police (GRP) to lodge a complaint. They alleged that confusion over jurisdiction between railway police units delayed the registration of the FIR and the search operation. According to their account, the FIR was registered around 9 pm, approximately six hours after he went missing.

Following information about a body lying in bushes near Barwadag, police from Angara police station reached the spot and took it into custody.

The circumstances surrounding Gupta’s death are under investigation. The cause of death has not yet been established and is expected to be determined through a post-mortem examination and further investigation.

Gupta, a native of Kushinagar district in Uttar Pradesh, was associated with Jan Suraaj as its digital communication manager and was an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).

The party had earlier appealed to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the Ranchi district administration and police officials to intervene after Gupta went missing.