East Burdwan, 26 March (H.S.):

A tragic incident occurred at the Katwa-Ballavpura ferry ghat in West Bengal when an 11th-grade student, returning home from tuition, drowned after falling into the river. Local residents staged protests, alleging negligence on the part of the boatman and ghat authorities.

The deceased has been identified as Akash Saha, a resident of Ballavpura in Nadia district. He was returning home by boat on Thursday morning when he slipped and fell into the river.

Eyewitnesses claimed that no immediate rescue efforts were made. Although life jackets were available on the boat, none were thrown to save the student. Witness Jonny Molla said, “The student fell while sitting with his bag. We were on the nearby ghat and expected someone on the boat to help. When no one acted, two of us jumped into the river, but by the time we reached him, he had submerged.”

Residents noted that similar incidents have occurred before, but repeated complaints to the ghat authorities did not lead to improvements. The protest temporarily blocked ferry operations.

Police and disaster management teams reached the site and began searching for the student. Katwa police have launched an investigation to determine why rescue efforts failed and whether the ghat authorities were negligent.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey