Dehradun, Oct 21 (PTI) Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, who was stranded in a remote Uttarakhand village for 17 hours after his chopper made an emergency landing there, has expressed gratitude to the villagers and the ITBP for their hospitality.

The top election official was en route to Milam to visit remote polling stations in the Pithoragarh region on Wednesday afternoon when his chopper with the pilot and two others on board was forced to make the emergency landing at Ralam village, around 42 km from Munsiyari, due to dense cloud and poor visibility.

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In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of the state BVRCC Purushottam, Kumar praised the residents of Ralam village, saying, "All the young angels became synonymous with the high ideals of humanity and made this day an unforgettable memory for the sake of saving the lives of all of us."

He expressed confidence that the administration will adopt this example of the participation of local residents in disaster management as a policy and will inspire and honour them.

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Kumar said, "I thank you all from the bottom of my heart and wish you a healthy and long life."

The CEC also wrote a letter to the Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and praised the rescue team deployed in Dharchula of Pithoragarh district.

Situated at an altitude of about 12,000 feet, Ralam was covered with snow, due to which all its residents had gone to their winter residence in Paton village a few days ago. As a result, the village was deserted.

Ishwar Singh Nabiyal, Surendra Kumar and Bhupendra Singh Dhakariyal of Pataun village reached the four-member team of the CEC at around 1 am with life-saving medicines and food items after walking through difficult geographical conditions and adverse weather conditions.

CEC was accompanied by Uttarakhand's Additional Chief Election Officer VK Jogdande, the pilot, besides another person.

Kumar wrote in his letter, "There is a saying that a drowning man clutches at a straw. This saying came true when this three-member team reached Ralam village like an angel. This team also had their pet dog with them, who was playing the role of the fourth security cover in the team."

At around 5 am, a team of ITBP jawans reached the spot and made tea for the CEC and his team. At 6 am, the helicopter flew to Munsiyari with the team.

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