The Bhutni flood situation in Malda’s Manikchak block has claimed a second reported life in 72 hours after a 22-year-old man drowned while trying to retrieve submerged bales of jute, even as district officials visited the inundated islet to assess conditions and distribute relief.
Local residents identified the deceased as Anikul Islam of Khosbartola village. The district administration had not confirmed the death at the time of the report. Residents said Islam fell into an overflowing pond at Samiruddintola on Friday morning after losing the submerged road while returning with jute bales on his head.
Residents and police recovered Islam from the water and took him to a medical camp near the Bhutni bridge, where doctors declared him dead, according to the report. Islam, a migrant worker, had returned home about a week earlier as the flood situation worsened.
The reported death follows the drowning of Dwijen Mandal, a jute farmer from Dakshin Chandipur, on September 8. Mandal had drowned while trying to save his jute stocks, according to local accounts. The two incidents underline the risks faced by residents attempting to protect agricultural produce and household livelihoods in an area where floodwater has submerged roads and disrupted access between settlements.
Bhutni islet, in Manikchak block of Malda district, has been affected by extensive flooding. The inundation has displaced residents and led to the creation of temporary shelters. The CPM has opened its Manikchak office to accommodate flood-affected people, provide dry food and offer shelter irrespective of political affiliation, according to Debajyoti Sinha, a Malda district secretariat member of the party.
Sinha called for compensation of ₹10 lakh each for the families of the two deceased. He said party supporters and other residents had taken shelter at the office, while the organisation was providing dry food to those affected.
District magistrate Rajanvir Singh Kapur and superintendent of police Anupam Singh visited Bhutni on Friday to take stock of the situation. They were accompanied by Sukesh Jain, inspector-general of police for north Bengal, and travelled by boat to inspect the flooded area and distribute relief among residents.
Gour Chandra Mandal, the BJP MLA from Manikchak, was also present in Bhutni and supervised the distribution of relief materials. Mandal said the state government was providing food at flood shelters and that health services were being delivered around the clock.
The administration’s confirmation of the latest death, the continuing relief operations and the condition of access routes in the flooded islet remain the immediate next steps as officials assess the impact of the inundation.
