Tragic Loss for Jan Suraaj Party

Devpalik Gupta, a 31-year-old communications lead for Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), was found dead in a forested area near a railway track in Jharkhand on Tuesday. Gupta had gone missing a day earlier while traveling on a moving train from Ranchi to Patna.

According to local law enforcement, preliminary findings indicate that Gupta accidentally fell off the Jan Shatabdi Express. His body was located near Jarwadih village along the Ranchi-Muri railway line and was subsequently identified by his family members.

Angara police station officer-in-charge Gautam Kumar Rajwar stated that the body would be transferred to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi for a post-mortem examination. Authorities have confirmed that a case of unnatural death will be formally registered following statements from the grieving family.

Unfolding of Events

Recounting the final moments before his disappearance, Gupta's colleague and traveling companion, Gautam Kumar, explained that they boarded the train at Ranchi railway station. Approximately ten minutes after departure, around 2:25 PM on Monday, Gupta mentioned he was heading to the pantry car to purchase food. When he failed to return, his colleagues initiated a search across the coaches.

Finding no trace of him on the train, his associates lodged an official complaint with the Government Railway Police (GRP) as soon as the train arrived at Muri Junction, triggering a search operation.

Tributes and Calls for a Thorough Probe

The Jan Suraaj Party issued a formal statement expressing deep grief over the tragedy, describing Gupta's passing as a heart-wrenching and irreparable blow to the organization.

"Devpalik Gupta had been leading JSP's social media team for the last four years. He was extremely talented and bore a simple demeanour. Gupta's demise is heart-wrenching and an irreparable loss for us," the party's statement read. Gupta recently managed the digital campaign that contributed to the party's breakthrough victory in the Bankipur assembly by-poll, which secured the fledgling political outfit its first MLA in the Bihar legislature.

An alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, Gupta's sudden death has also drawn mourning from the IIMC Alumni Association (IIMCAA). In an official message, the association urged the Jharkhand Police to conduct a comprehensive probe into the circumstances surrounding the incident and make the findings public at the earliest.