Goalpokhar: Two kids drown in rain-filled ditch

Raiganj: In a tragic incident on Monday afternoon, two cousins, Sakhawat Hossain (8 years) and Md Arsalan (9 years), drowned in a water-filled ditch in Kalugaon village under Goalpokhar Police Station in North Dinajpur district. The area had experienced excessive rainfall over the past two days, leading to water accumulation in nearby fields.

Sirajul Islam, father of Sakhawat Hossain, recounted the events, stating: “Our thatched hut had partly collapsed due to the storm. On Monday afternoon, we were busy repairing our house. Due to excessive rainfall over the last two days, water had stagnated in the field around 500 metres from our house. Some individuals had also blocked the mouth of a hume pipe in the village to protect their agricultural plots, leading to water accumulation in the field. The two children went to play in the water and suddenly fell into a ditch and drowned. Locals, upon being informed, rescued them and sent them to the local health centre, where the doctor declared them dead.”

Abdul Majid, the former Pradhan of Gaogaon-I Gram Panchayat, expressed concern over the incident, stating: “Two persons illegally blocked the mouth of the culvert, so water accumulated in the field for which the children died. We demand lawful measures against them.” Dipali Singha, the current Pradhan of Gaogaon-I Gram Panchayat, added: “It was a sorrowful incident. The subject of blocking the mouth of the hume pipe in the village was not informed to me. The matter will be verified soon.”