Dehydration can be so unforgiving that even the strongest willpower might not push it through. The body simply begins to shut down.
Arnab Sunil Pal, the 55-year-old surveyor working on a Border Outpost (BOP) infrastructure project along the India-Pakistan border in Gujarat’s Kutch district, was found dead in the desert on Thursday, nearly 100 hours after he went missing. Authorities confirmed that he succumbed to dehydration.
Pal, an employee of Bhaskaram Jyotish Anusandhan Kendra Pvt Ltd — a sub-contractor for the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) — was part of a survey team operating under a private contract for the Border Security Force’s (BSF) Gujarat Frontier.
On April 6, Pal, along with an assistant and a driver, set out to survey the desert terrain between two BSF outposts near the Line of Control. According to police, after reaching a point where the team had to continue on foot, Pal’s assistant was unable to proceed due to exhaustion. Determined to continue another 500 metres, Pal went ahead alone. He was never seen alive again.
After failing to return, the assistant raised an alarm. The BSF launched a massive search operation with assistance from the police and Forest Department personnel. Over 40 personnel were involved in combing a 12-square-kilometre area of harsh desert terrain, battling temperatures close to 50°C. Authorities say efforts were made to preserve footprints and conduct targeted searches during cooler hours of the day.
The search teams faced weather woes, according to a news report. The temperature was about 50 degrees in the desert and the search could only be conducted in limited time periods, from 6-11 am and 6-8 pm, an officer said.
Pal’s body was discovered on Thursday, bringing the multi-day operation to a tragic close. His body was handed over to his family after a post-mortem at GG General Hospital in Jamnagar on Friday.
This incident comes less than a year after two BSF personnel — Assistant Commandant Vishwa Deo and Head Constable Dayal Ram — died of heat stroke during a foot patrol in the same region. In both cases, water shortages in extreme heat proved fatal.
Pal, a resident of Bardhaman district in West Bengal, had been staying in Rapar, Kutch, for the duration of the project.
