Arunachal Drowning Incident: Bodies of Army Personnel and Son Recovered from Kameng River

ITANAGAR: The bodies of an Army personnel Havildar Bappi Ghosh and his 12-year-old son, Hirtik Ghosh, who drowned in the Kameng River, have been retrieved and handed over to their family members. This unfortunate incident took place near the Pinjuli Bridge in the Bhalukpong sub-division.

On 17 October, 2024, Sampa Ghosh, wife of Hav. Bappi Ghosh complained that she along with members of her family had gone to the river for a bath. At about 11:30 AM, her elder son Hirtik slipped into the river. In an attempt to save his son, Bappi jumped into the water but could not rescue him. Both father and son were swept away by the strong currents of the river.

After the detailed report, there was a joint search operation that the West Kameng police had organized in coordination with the Air Force, SDRF, and local volunteers. Not a shred of anything was found after wide efforts for several days with the first search going on for days.

On 19 October, at around 2:30 PM, the body of Hav Bappi Ghosh was recovered near Sikom village in Assam, after which it was found. Local police said a case has been lodged at Bhalukpong police station for further investigation.

The inquest into Bappi Ghosh's death was conducted on 20 October. Following the last rite, his body was returned to his native village for burial.

The next day, on October 21, the authority of the Air Force station at Tezpur informed that another body was found floating near the river in Jio Boroll village, Assam. Hirtik Ghosh was identified as the body when it was collected by his maternal uncle himself after all the legal formalities had been completed by the base authorities; accordingly, the body of Hirtik was also handed over to the family for his final rites.

This tragic incident had the public focus on the dangers caused by strong currents of rivers and, henceforth, called for more caution while at play in such areas. The residents of the area and the department expressed sorrow over the death of the family.

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