Three minors drowned in a stretch of water connected to the Punpun river in Patna’s Mirzapur village on Sunday while helping prepare a site for Chhath Puja, according to a report by the Times of India. The incident occurred under the jurisdiction of Didarganj police station as residents were preparing to decorate the riverside location ahead of the evening araghya.
The victims were identified as Suraj Kumar, 15, son of Vijay Kumar Sharma; Yash Raj, 14, son of Prince Kumar; and Aditya Kumar, 16, son of Sudhir Kumar. All three were residents of Mirzapur village. Local residents told the newspaper that the teenagers had gone to the river to assist with preparations when they accidentally entered the water and drowned.
The incident drew villagers and family members to the riverbank as rescue efforts began. At the time of the report, the bodies had not been recovered. The National Disaster Response Force was also involved in the operation, according to Didarganj station house officer Sunil Kumar.
Residents questioned the response time, alleging that police took nearly an hour to reach the site after being informed and that the State Disaster Response Force, or SDRF, arrived at about 4.15 pm after being alerted around 2 pm. The allegations could not be independently verified in the supplied report.
Kumar said police received information at about 1.30 pm and immediately sent two vehicles to the location. He attributed the delay in the rescue team’s arrival to the time required to arrange and transport equipment. “The SDRF team arrived at around 4pm as it had to load and bring the necessary equipment,” he told the Times of India.
The police officer also said the location was not a designated Chhath ghat. The stretch connected to the Punpun river was not among the officially listed ghats, and there was no previous record of Chhath Puja being conducted there. Some residents had planned to observe the festival at the site for the first time this year.
According to Kumar, the teenagers entered the water but apparently did not know how to swim. The incident took place as families across the village were preparing festival offerings, including thekua, fruits and dauras used during Chhath rituals.
The recovery operation was continuing with the involvement of the NDRF, while the SDRF had already reached the location. The supplied report did not provide further details on the recovery of the bodies or any official announcement on safety arrangements at other Chhath sites.
