MANALI: Bengaluru native Rahul Ramesh, an avid and young trail runner, met his untimely end while pursuing his passion. Rahul's love for running took him to the beautiful trails near Jogni Falls in Manali, but fate had a different plan in store for him.

His body was found by the rescue team from the bottom of the 400 m cliff of the Jogini Fall in uphill of Manali  in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh today after a gruelling search operation. 

Rahul had ventured into the quite altitude of Jogni Nalla, just 5 km from Vashisht village in uphill of Manali, for a practice run few days ago, not knowing that it would be his last.

A mishap during his run led to a horrifying fall from a cliff into the depths of a gorge, a fall that left no chance of survival.

The fall took him a harrowing 400 meters into the gorge in the  icy waters of a waterfall.

The news of his disappearance sent shockwaves through the trail-running community, and a massive search and rescue operation was promptly launched.

Led by the DSP Manali KD Sharma, the team included members from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali.

The task ahead was formidable; reaching the spot where Rahul's life had tragically ended was no easy feat. Rescuers had to employ rappelling techniques to navigate the treacherous terrain and make their way to the remote location at the bottom of the steep cliff.

Avinash Negi, the director of ABVIMAS said the collective efforts of the team finally bore fruit as they managed to retrieve Rahul's dead body during their search operation.

The police would conduct the postmortem to rule out any foul play into the tragic death of Rahul Ramesh.  The police said they are investigating every angle of the case. 

His phone and headlamp were found by the police near the Jogni Fall and got the possible trail that Rahul might have followed.   

His memory will forever be etched in the hearts of those who knew him, and his love for trail running will continue to inspire others to pursue their passions, always with safety and caution as their guides.

Relatives Response:  Puneet, relative of Rahul Ramesh has sought response from the HP Police regarding the whereabout of the dead body of Rahul Ramesh. They got to know about the fate of Rahul Ramesh from the story that appeared in the HimbuMail. They have been directed to contact the DSP Manali KD Sharma: contact number: 91 88942 733334 

- Kuldeep Chauhan, Editor- in-Chief, HimbuMail.