Sikkim Ex-Minister’s Body Discovered In West Bengal Canal

Siliguri: The body of former Sikkim minister RC Poudyal was unearthed from a canal near Siliguri in West Bengal nine days after he went missing.

The body of 80-year-old Poudyal was found in the Teesta Canal at Fulbari on Tuesday.

Police suspect that the body might have been floated down by the Teesta river from upstream. The body was identified from the watch and the clothes he was wearing.

Sikkim police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to search for the senior politician after he went missing on July 7 from his hometown of Chota Singtam in Pakyong district. Police will now investigate the cause of his death.

Poudyal was the deputy speaker in the first Sikkim Assembly. He also served as the state’s forest minister. He established the Rising Sun Party in Sikkim.

“I am deeply saddened by the sudden demise of the Late Shri RC Poudyal Jyu, a statesman and distinguished senior political leader who had served the Sikkim Government in various capacities, including as a minister, and was the leader of the Jhulke Gham Party,” Sikkim Chief Minister PS Tamang said.