Three teenagers are feared to have drowned in the Punpun river while helping decorate an unofficial Chhath ghat in Mirzapur village, Patna, on Sunday, with search operations continuing and their bodies yet to be found at the time of reporting. The incident occurred as local residents prepared to observe Chhath Puja at a riverbank site that authorities said was not among the officially designated ghats.
The missing teenagers were identified as Suraj Kumar, 15, Yash Raj, 14, and Aditya Kumar, 16. According to local residents, the three had gone to the river to help decorate the ghat ahead of the evening rituals when they slipped and fell into the water.
Didarganj station house officer Sunil Kumar said the location was not a designated Chhath ghat. The stretch connecting to the Punpun river was not included in the officially listed ghats, and there was no previous record of Chhath Puja being conducted at the site, he said. Some residents had planned to hold the festival there for the first time this year.
The SHO said the teenagers apparently did not know how to swim. After news of the incident spread, villagers and family members reached the riverbank. The report said there were relatively few people at the site because households were occupied with preparations for the festival.
The incident has also raised questions locally about the time taken to begin rescue operations. Villagers claimed that Didarganj police were informed but reached the spot nearly an hour later. They said the State Disaster Response Force was alerted at about 2 pm but arrived at approximately 4.15 pm.
The police disputed the account of an initial delay. Sunil Kumar said the police received information at around 1.30 pm and immediately sent two vehicles to the site. He said the SDRF team arrived at around 4 pm because it had to load and transport the equipment required for the operation.
The incident highlights the safety risks that can arise when festival gatherings expand to riverbank locations outside the officially identified network of ghats. Designated sites are typically the locations mapped by authorities for crowd management and emergency arrangements, but the report does not specify what safety measures, lighting, barriers or water-rescue facilities were available at the Mirzapur site.
The search for the three teenagers was continuing when the report was filed. Their bodies had not been recovered at that stage, and the authorities had not announced a final outcome of the rescue operation.
