Kedarnath HORROR: A year later, rotten bodies, human skeletons recovered

Chandigarh: It has been over a year since the natural disaster struck Uttarakhand, but human skeletal remains are still being found in Kedar valley. A TV news channel has reported that bodies of several pilgrims, who visited the char dham yatra in 2013, are still lying in Kedarnath and have not been cremated. Several rotting dead bodies were recovered in Jungle Chatti of Kedarnath, which bore the brunt of one of the worst natural calamities of all times, last year. Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand government on Saturday constituted a special task force to conduct intensive combing operations in the forests adjoining Kedarnath in search of bodies. The task force, headed by Inspector General of Police Sanjay Gunjyal, has been set up as per directions of Chief Minister Harish Rawat, Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar said. Gunjyal has been appointed in-charge of the task force which will conduct combing operations over the next 20 days, the Chief Secretary said. Personnel from ITBP, local police and SDRF have been included in the task force, he said. The search campaign by the special task force will cover the entire region from Sonprayag to Kedarnath. To be started immediately, the campaign will be over in the next 20 days, Kumar said adding the task force has also been authorised to cremate the bodies after their DNA sampling and other formalities.