By Lokendra Joshi, Darchula, Aug. 6: The probe committee over the incident of missing of Jay Singh Dhami in the Mahakali River after Indian border security SSB untied the ropeway he was using to cross the river has reached Mal Gaun, Dhami's home village, in Byas Rural Municipality-2 in Darchula district.

Members of the probe committee reached the victim's village by a Nepali Army helicopter today in order to hold discussions with the family members and relatives of the victim and make an onsite visit to the incident site in the Nepali side of the river, according to Jyotsna Bhatta Joshi, assistant Chief District Officer of Darchula and a member of the five-member probe committee.

On Thursday, the team had also visited the incident site from the Indian side of the river by taking the Indian route to reach the incident site, in coordination with the Indian border security, SSB. Seeing that the probe committee was not coming to the Nepali side of the incident site, the locals of Byas and the Biplob led NCP activists had protested by sloganeering at the Nepali side on Thursday.

The probe committee took a helicopter to reach Mal Gaun as the path to the village has crumbled at many places to go on foot.

The probe committee reached the victim's home on the eighth day of the incident, and missing Dhami has not been found yet.

Dhami went missing while crossing the river on the rope crossing, Tuin, on July 30 as the SSB personnel reportedly cut the rope tied on a tree in the Indian side of the river. For lack of bridge, locals use rope crossing to cross the border river.

The five-member committee comprises of Deputy Inspector General of Police in Sudurpaschim Province Purushottam Kandel, director of National Investigation Department Hutaraj Thapa, Senior Superintendent of Police of the Armed Police Force Suresh Kumar Shrestha, and assistant chief district officer of Darchula district Jyotsna Bhatta Joshi.

Since the committee members arrived here on Tuesday, they have held discussions with the security officials looking into the incident, eyewitnesses of the incident, human rights activists, political party leaders, people's representatives of Byas Rural Municipality, and other related people.

The committee has been given a period of 10 days to submit the report of the probe.

The SSB which first denied access to the incident site for journalists who accompanied the probe committee members allowed the journalists to reach the site but without cameras. Journalist Narendra Karki said that even the Nepali Army restricted the journalists to go to the incident site with the cameras.

 Meanwhile, eyewitnesses of the incident, Kalyan Singh Dhami, Bikram Rankoli and Anita Dhami, whom the Darchula district administration had called for interrogation, have been sent to their home village with their relatives.