Raiganj: Grief gripped Barabarua village in North Dinajpur, after a sixteen-year-old girl, Riya Dutta, drowned while taking a holy dip during the Chhath Puja celebrations on Tuesday morning.
The body was later handed over to the family after post-mortem.
According to local sources, villagers had organised the annual Chhath Puja rituals on the bank of a local pond. During morning prayers, Riya, accompanied by her friends and relatives, entered the pond for bathing.
Reportedly, she accidentally moved into the deeper part of the pond and began to drown, as she did not know how to swim.
Hearing her cries, some devotees rushed to rescue her and immediately rushed her to Raiganj Government Medical College and Hospital. However, doctors declared her brought dead.
Bhabananda Barman, Pradhan of the Barua Gram Panchayat, expressed deep grief over the tragedy, stating: “The girl accidentally went into deep water and could not save herself as she did not know swimming.
Her sudden death has deeply saddened theentire village.”
A police officer of Raiganj Police station confirmed the death of the girl and informed that an investigation has been launched on the unnatural death of the girl.