Karbi Anglong: Body of Missing Polling Official Found in Forest Under Rongbongwe police station

A correspondent

Bokakhat: A sensation has been created after the body of a polling official, who had been missing for 10 days, was mysteriously recovered from a forested area under the Rongbongwe police station in Karbi Anglong, south of Kaziranga.

According to reports, the body of the missing polling official, Cornelius Kuntu (49), was found in a forest at a place called Tim Hem within the jurisdiction of the police station. On Saturday evening, locals heading towards the hills spotted the body in a naked condition inside the forest. They informed the police, following which Rongbongwe police reached the remote area at night and recovered the body.

It is noteworthy that the official had been missing since the day of polling. Cornelius Kuntu, who was serving as the third polling officer, had gone missing during the voting process at Charpothar Primary School polling station. A resident of Diphu Dhanasiri Bazar and a teacher at Kathalguri Nepali Basti Primary School, he reportedly fell ill due to epilepsy around noon on polling day. He was allowed to rest, but later left the polling station without informing any responsible authority. When the presiding officer later noticed his absence and contacted him by phone, he said he was going home. However, the next day his daughter informed the police that he had not returned home.

During the investigation, locals in Paniram Tokbi Village informed the police that they had seen him heading towards Tingham Village on the day of polling. Based on this, a search operation was launched. During the search, his black jacket, trousers, belt, and undergarments were found along the road in Tingham village.

Locals from Tingham Village also stated that they had seen him in the village that afternoon wearing a black jacket and folded grey trousers. These discoveries led to the assumption that he had returned from Tingham, as his jacket and Election Commission ID card were later found in the Deopani River, far from the village.

It is also mentioned that his last mobile location was traced near Paniram Tokbi LP School. Despite multiple search operations and even the use of drones, the police were unable to find him. However, the recovery of his body—completely unclothed—in a remote forest about 25 km from the polling station has raised serious questions and mystery around the incident. 

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