Assam teacher missing in Nagaland found dead in river after seven days
Fishermen reportedly spotted the decomposed body floating in a river about 25 km away from the school in a dense forested area
People pay their last respects at deceased Abhijit Saikia's residence. (AT Image)
Jorhat, March 8: The body of a teacher from Assam, who had gone missing earlier this month while returning to his workplace in Nagaland, was recovered from a river nearly a week later on Sunday, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding his death.
The deceased has been identified as Abhijit Saikia, a resident of Titabor in Assam’s Jorhat district. He had recently joined as a teacher at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) in the Usha area of Nagaland.
According to reports, Saikia had been on leave for a few days and was expected to rejoin duty earlier this month.
However, he went missing soon after leaving home, triggering concern among his family members and school authorities.
Family members said the school principal had contacted Saikia on February 8, requesting him to return to the school.
Saikia reportedly told the principal that he would be able to reach the school by February 10, to which the principal agreed. However, he failed to reach the school and could not be contacted thereafter.
“Later, when we went to enquire about him, we were shocked to learn that he had already been reported missing since February 8,” a relative of the deceased said.
Following his disappearance, the school authorities lodged a First Information Report (FIR) at Usha Chitukong Police Station. Despite search efforts, the police were initially unable to trace him.
Nearly seven days later, fishermen reportedly spotted a decomposed body floating in a river about 25 km away from the school in a dense forested area. The fishermen immediately alerted the police, who rushed to the spot and recovered the body.
“The body was found in a river inside a dense jungle. Some fishermen noticed a decomposed body floating while fishing and informed the police. Later, the police arrived and recovered it,” the relative added.
The discovery of the body has left the teacher’s family and the local community in shock. Saikia had reportedly joined the Navodaya school only about a month ago, making his sudden disappearance and death even more distressing.
Police have sent the body for post-mortem examination and informed the family members. Officials said the exact cause of death will be determined only after the forensic report is received.
Authorities have initiated an investigation into the incident to ascertain the circumstances that led to Saikia’s death.
Meanwhile, family members and local residents have demanded a fair and thorough investigation to uncover the truth behind the teacher’s mysterious death.