Brothers, devotee drown in cities
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Two little boys and a father of
three drowned in Ranchi and Jamshedpur, respectively, on Thursday
morning in twin tragedies that have left this year’s Chhath
celebrations, amid touted safety measures, scarred forever.
While brothers
Alok (8) and Atul Mahli (6) met with the accident while making a splash
in a six-feet-deep pond in the capital’s Bariatu area after the sunrise puja, Guljari Prasad Sao (31) — who knew how to swim — went missing at Domuhani in the steel city while offering suryoday arghya.
Though Sao’s body was not found in the 15-feet-deep waters at the
confluence of Subernarekha and Kharkai rivers till sundown, he is feared
dead.
According to
eyewitnesses, Alok and Atul — sons of a RIMS security guard and students
of Kind Land Academy — were playing in the waters close to the pond
periphery at Som Vihar, 2km from Bariatu doctors’ colony, around 8.30am.
“Chhath Puja was
over and devotees, including their mother Rekha Mahli, had dispersed.
The boys, who were playing near the banks, slowly began drifting to the
centre of the pond, where the water was too deep for them. Two
passers-by — local resident Shankar Nayak and his son Sagar — suddenly
noticed them making desperate attempts to stay afloat,” said Sandeep
Nayak, a neighbour of the Mahlis.
“The father-son
duo wasted no time and dived in to save the boys, but it was too late.
The brothers were taken to RIMS, but declared brought dead,” he added.
The Mahli
residence was found locked since the morning mishap. Mother Rekha, who
supplements her husband’s income by working as a maid, was found wailing
at her brother’s home, a little distance away, as she sat amid a pile
of clothes — twin pairs of jeans, two tees and a sweater — that her two
sons had left near the pond.
Her brother, Jeetu
Mahli, who works at the RIMS operating theatre, said the bodies would
be taken to Lohardaga, where the boys’ grandparents live, for cremation.
Sub-inspector
Mahendra Hembrom of Sadar police station said a case of unnatural death
had been registered and the bodies sent for autopsy after which they
would be handed over to the bereaved parents.
The other incident
took place in Jamshedpur’s Sonari three hours before the Ranchi
tragedy. Sao, a resident of Bhuiyandih, was visiting his brother-in-law
for Chhath.
According to a relative, the accident took place around 5.30am when Sao was in the waters to offer arghya like countless others. “He ventured too deep and was swept away,” said Janardan Shaw.
Others claimed
there were no divers present to save him despite promises made by the
East Singhbhum district authorities. “We were at the Chhath ghat in
Domuhani since 5am, but did not see a single lifeguard. Had there been
one, he (Sao) could have been saved. His three children have been
orphaned now,” rued Amit Sao, another relative.
The 3km bank
stretch at Domuhani draws 3 lakh Chhath devotees. As a safety measure,
police installed CCTV cameras while the district health wing posted
medical team and ambulance. Swimmers (local fishermen) and a rescue team
with rafts and paddleboats were expected too.
Sonari OC Animesh
Gupta denied lax safety arrangements. “We had deployed six divers and 10
policemen for safety of devotees. In fact, the divers had plunged in at
the sight of the drowning man, but could not trace him,” he said,
adding that it appeared Sao knew how to swim. “The victim had been
swimming in the river before he drowned while offering arghya. The maximum depth at river’s meet was 15ft at that time.”
According to Gupta, seven divers — including one from Tata Steel — had launched a search later, but Sao was not found till 5pm.
“We will resume the operation tomorrow (Friday) morning. Maybe, the body will surface on its own,” he said.
Should the twin incidents be seen as Chhath safety lapse?
Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com
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Sunday, November 2, 2014
Brothers, devotee drown in cities
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