Boy drowns during holy dip in Hooghly after cremating relative

KOLKATA: A 25-year-old youth drowned in the Hooghly river at Ahiritola Ghat in north Kolkata while taking a dip after cremating his relative at Nimtala Ghat on Wednesday afternoon.
Police said, Pradip Hazra, a resident of Natunpara in Rajarhat had come to the Ahiritola Ghat with other relatives to float the mortal remains of the relative and take a holy dip in the river.However with the high tide setting in, Hazra drowned in the river and was swept away.
Few relatives immediately jumped in the water to look for him and so did a few boatmen. The relatives also informed the cops who in turn called the Disaster Management Group personnel, who conducted a search operation in the area till late into Wednesday but could not trace the body of Hazra.
Also on Wednesday, a 16-year-old boy, Sanjoy Saha, who was bathing in a local pond at Panchanantala in Regent Park area during the afternoon rains, drowned. Locals jumped in the pond after him and could fish him out in 20 minutes following which he was taken to MR Bangur Hospital in Tollygunge where he was declared dead.
Earlier on Tuesday, a 13-year-old boy, Vicky Yadav, while taking a bath in the ganges near Ratan Babu ghat in Cossipore somehow drowned in the water. Officers of River Traffic Police and Disaster Management Group personnel had been conducting a search operation since Tuesday evening but could not locate him till late on Wednesday.