Prati Phukan's son drowned

Tragic boat mishap in Umngot river near Meghalaya’s Bangladesh border

A Correspondent

Shillong, Dec 19: In a tragic incident, former minister and harkatiya legislator Prati Phukan's son Rituraj Phukan drowned in the Umngot river in West Jaintia Hills district on Saturday morning.

Reports suggested that Rituraj, drowned when he went for rowing at the Umngot river in Shnongpdeng village, under Amlarem civil sub-division.

According to authorities, Rituraj and two of his friends had gone to the village on Friday evening.

On Saturday morning at around 7 am, the trio went for sightseeing to the Umngot river and got onto a boat which was rowed by local boys.

Phukan and his friends requested one of the boys who was rowing the boat to take them upstream.

According to the West Jaintia Hills Additiol Deputy Commissioner, DM Wahlang, the victim stood up on the boat and in the process the boat lost its balance and capsized. All the occupants in the boat fell into the river.

Locals who saw the incident immediately jumped into the river in a bid to rescue them.

However, only two of the three youths could be rescued while Rituraj drowned in the river.

Rituraj’s body was retrieved with the help of locals and police and brought to Dawki. The body was later taken to Guwahati by his relatives.

Twenty-eight year old Rituraj was a lawyer by profession and a member of the NSUI, Congress’ student wing.