Raiganj: In a tragic incident, two children drowned in a pond at Kasba Maheso village under Raiganj Police Station in North Dinajpur district. The deceased have been identified as Sukhdev Murmu (10) and Chiranjit Karmakar (12), both residents of the same village. According to local sources, the children were missing since Sunday morning. Their bodies were discovered floating in a pond approximately 500 metres from their homes on Sunday evening. The pond, recently excavated with an earth mover, had become significantly deeper, posing a hazard to unsuspecting swimmers.
Saniram Kisku, a relative of Sukhdev Murmu, stated: “Recently, the pond was excavated with an earth mover. It was very deep. As the children fell into deep water while bathing they drowned.” Agitated villagers gathered in front of the residence of Uttam Ghosh, the owner of the pond, demanding accountability. The situation escalated, leading to heightened tension in the locality. Upon receiving information, police personnel from Raiganj Police Station arrived at the scene and managed to pacify the crowd. Inspector in-charge Biswasroy Sarkar confirmed the recovery of the bodies and stated: “The bodies of two children were recovered from the pond. An investigation has been initiated to trace the reason of death.”