Five incidents involving people entering or being found in Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati River were reported during the Diwali festival period, with four people found dead and one person rescued alive, according to a report by Divya Bhaskar. The incidents occurred at different points along the river and were handled by the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services’ river rescue team, riverfront security personnel and police.
The first incident was reported on Diwali morning between Ellis Bridge and Atal Bridge. Fire officials began searching the river after a bag, mobile phone, footwear and motorcycle key were found near the riverfront. The rescue team recovered the body of a young man identified as Fenil after about an hour and informed the police. The body was sent for post-mortem examination.
Later on the same day, a riverfront security guard informed the police and fire department after a body was seen floating near the area towards the Kite Hotel. Fire personnel removed the body from the river. The report said no document or other material that could immediately establish the person’s identity was found, and police began efforts to identify the deceased through the post-mortem process and further investigation.
On the following day, an individual was reported to have entered the river near Dadhichi Bridge during the afternoon. The river rescue team brought the person out alive. The man, identified as Pravin Kamle, was taken to Civil Hospital by a 108 emergency ambulance after rescuers found that he was breathing.
Another incident was reported late that night after a riverfront security guard contacted the fire department. The rescue team later recovered the body of Sajid Pathan from the river and informed the police. The body was sent for post-mortem examination.
A fifth case was reported on the morning of Bhai Dooj near Ellis Bridge, when a security guard alerted the rescue team after seeing another body in the river. Fire personnel recovered the body, but the report said no document establishing the person’s identity was found. The word “Paresh” was written in English on the person’s hand, and police began efforts to trace the family.
The incidents place the operational role of the riverfront security network and the fire department’s river rescue unit in focus. In the reported cases, security guards raised alerts and rescue personnel were deployed either to search for people in the river or recover bodies. Police investigations and post-mortem examinations are being used to establish identities and complete the formal procedures.
The report did not establish a common reason linking the incidents. It also did not provide an official explanation for the number of cases during the festival period. The immediate next steps are the identification of the two unidentified deceased persons, communication with their families, post-mortem examinations and further police investigation into each case.
