Raiganj: A pall of gloom descended upon Purbapara in Gulandar‑II Gram Panchayat (GP) following a heart-wrenching incident along the Sui River on Friday morning. 14-year-old Munna Ram, visiting from Rajasthan, drowned and was pronounced dead at a local health centre. His cousin, 15-year-old Dilip Kumar, also from Rajasthan, remains missing.
According to relatives, the cousins from Baroli village of Bharatpur district in Rajasthan had arrived two days earlier at their grandfather’s home in Manainagar, Itahar. On Thursday evening, they spent time at their aunt Sanjia Bibi’s residence. Early Friday, without informing family members, they headed to the Sui River for a swim but as they lacked swimming skills, they both drowned. Locals nearby rushed to help. Munna Ram was swiftly pulled out of the river and taken to the health centre, where medical staff confirmed his death. Despite rigorous search operations using speed boats, Dilip Kumar remains unaccounted for.
Sukumar Ghosh, Inspector in‑charge of Itahar Police Station confirmed that officers, along with disaster management teams, are continuing round-the-clock searches on the river to locate the missing teenager.