In an extraordinary tale of survival and perseverance, a 55-year-old man who was declared dead after going missing in the catastrophic 2013 Kedarnath floods has been reunited with his family after twelve years. The reunion was facilitated by the diligent staff of Pune's Regional Mental Hospital (RMH), who pieced together his identity from a single clue about his school.
From Flood Survivor to Theft Accused: A Twelve-Year Odyssey
Shivam, who lives with polio, vanished during the devastating floods in Kedarnath that claimed thousands of lives. With no trace of him found for days, his family, believing the worst, performed his symbolic last rites. Miraculously, Shivam had survived but found himself in Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) in Maharashtra with no memory of how he got there.
His struggle continued in 2021 when a temple where he was staying in Sambhajinagar was burgled. The arrested robbers dragged Shivam's name into the case. When produced before a judge, he was ordered to be rehabilitated at Pune's Regional Mental Hospital for "disorganised schizophrenia". The government-run facility, which currently houses 1,037 inmates, became his home as the legal process unfolded.
The School Clue That Cracked the Case
Unraveling Shivam's past was a significant challenge for the hospital's social service team. Rohini Bhosale, the Social Service Superintendent at RMH, recounted the difficulties. Shivam spoke in a Pahari dialect of Hindi that was hard to understand, and his mobility was affected by polio, which made the robbery accusation seem unlikely to the team.
The breakthrough came unexpectedly in 2023 when Shivam responded to a question about his education. He mentioned Prem Vidyalaya in Roorkee. This concrete detail was exactly what Bhosale and her team needed. With renewed urgency, they contacted the police station at Roorkee tehsil in Haridwar district.
"We soon got information about his relatives and also learned that he had completed Class 12 from Prem Vidyalaya," Bhosale said. The team explained his mental health condition—disorganised schizophrenia, which involves confused thinking and disorganised speech—to his located family and maintained contact through video calls.
"The very first video call was a deeply emotional one, with both brothers being moved to tears," Bhosale recalled.
Legal Hurdles and Eventual Freedom
Parallel to the search for his family, the hospital staff worked to resolve the theft case. Bhosale approached the Shivur police station, where officers initially had no record. However, ASI Vaibhav Rankhamb checked old files and found no chargesheet had been prepared. One was subsequently filed, leading to court summons for Shivam.
The case faced a six-month delay due to a judge's transfer at the Vaijapur court. During this period, Shivam's relatives began visiting him and hired a lawyer. Finally, in a hearing at the JMFC Vaijapur court in 2023, Shivam was declared innocent in 2024. The RMH received the formal court order only last month, paving the way for his discharge.
On Friday, Shivam was officially reunited with his brother. His family, who has taken him home, has chosen not to comment on the long ordeal.
A Landmark Rehabilitation Success
Dr. Shriniwas Kolod, Superintendent at the RMH, highlighted the significance of this case. He stated that this was the first-ever rehabilitation of a longstanding case of an unidentified prisoner-patient at their facility. "It was the relentless efforts of our dedicated team that helped in this rehabilitation," Dr. Kolod said.
He credited the collaborative work of staff including Dr. Shama Rathod, Dr. Varsha Bedagkar, Dr. Ingle, and Dr. Amit Gosavi, who supported Bhosale's team. Dr. Kolod also noted that the hospital has rehabilitated 400 mentally-ill inmates in the last few years, with many sent to government centres where they work and earn.
This remarkable story underscores the impact of sensitive, dedicated institutional care and the enduring hope of family, even after being lost for over a decade.
