West Burdwan, 28 October (H.S.): A man drowned while bathing in a pond with his family on Tuesday in Damodarpur area of Ward No. 7 under Jamuria police station in Asansol in West Burdwan district, on the occasion of Chhath Puja.

According to local sources, the deceased has been identified as Pandey Das, a resident of Hussain Nagar area of Ward No. 5 under Jamuria police station. On Tuesday morning, he and his family members went to Nimgadiya pond to perform Chhath Puja. While bathing during the puja, he suddenly drowned in deep water.

Local residents and disaster management teams immediately arrived at the scene and began searching for him in the pond. After considerable effort, Pandey Das's body was recovered from the pond.

The police sent the body to Asansol District Hospital for postmortem.

Local residents have accused the administration of negligence. They said that every year, ponds and ghats are cleaned during Chhath Puja, but no arrangements are made to reduce the depth of the pond or take safety measures. People said that such tragic incidents happen due to lack of security.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey