Missing soldier’s body found at Siachen glacier after 38 years

• In 1984, Chandrashekhar Harbola and 19 others were caught in an avalanche in Siachen glacier.
• They were on a patrol operation near the Pakistan-India border.
• At least 10 Indian soldiers died in an avalanche in 2016

in 1984, Chandrashekhar Harbola and 19 others were caught in an avalanche while conducting a patrol operation in the Siachen glacier near the Pakistan-India border.

Later, fifteen bodies were found, but five people were still missing.

Soldiers from both nations lose their lives in avalanches and storms on Siachen, which is the world’s highest battleground.

According to the PTI news agency, the army detachment who discovered Harbola’s body also discovered another one that has not yet been recognised.

The family of Harbola, who resides in the Himalayan district of Uttarakhand, said the discovery will provide them closure. In his village, a funeral with full military honours has been organised.

It has happened before that a soldier’s body was discovered decades later. Tukaram V. Patil’s body was discovered in 2014 by a patrolling unit, 21 years after he vanished in the glaciers.

India and Pakistan have fought over Siachen in the past. Although unsuccessful, discussions to demilitarise the area have taken place.

In 1984, soldiers from the nuclear-armed neighbours engaged in a brief conflict to reaffirm their sovereignty over the Siachen glacier.

Both countries’ military are still stationed in the hostile area more than 40 years later.

In an avalanche near the Siachen glacier in 2012, at least 129 Pakistani soldiers perished. The incident sparked demands that India and Pakistan withdraw their forces from the disputed area, but the neighbours were unable to come to a consensus.

Four more Indian troops perished in identical circumstances in 2019 after at least 10 died in an avalanche in 2016.