Two teenage students drown in Kuakhai river during Saraswati idol immersion

Bhubaneswar: In a tragic incident, two teenage students drowned in the Kuakhai river while taking a bath following the immersion of a Goddess Saraswati idol at Ranga Bazar under Balianta police station limits in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

The deceased, both aged 15, were identified as Sikun Senapati of Ganga Nagar and Dibyajayoti Mahalik of Unit-6 in Bhubaneswar.

According to sources, a group of six students from a private tutorial, accompanied by their teacher and a staff member, had gone to the Kuakhai river bank for the immersion ceremony. After completing the ritual, they decided to take a dip in the river. However, strong currents and unstable sand beneath their feet led to a mishap, sweeping all six into deeper waters.

While four of the students managed to swim ashore and were rescued, Sikun and Dibyajayoti were unable to fight against the current and drowned. Fire department personnel launched an immediate search operation, and after nearly an hour, the two boys were pulled out from the river. Efforts to revive them with CPR proved futile, and they were declared dead at the scene.

Sources revealed that only two adults—the tuition teacher and a staff member—were present during the immersion. Reportedly, the group had chosen the Kuakhai river for the ritual due to insufficient water in the temporary pond designated by the authorities for idol immersion.

As of the latest reports, police took stock of the situation and were questioning the tuition teacher regarding possible negligence. However, authorities have not provided any official comments on further action.

Notably, this incident comes almost a year after four people drowned at the same stretch of the Kuakhai river during Holi celebrations.�