A 20-year-old college student from Noida was swept away by the strong current of the Ganga at the restricted Sai Ghat area in Tapovan, Rishikesh, adding to a grim tally of at least 26 drowning deaths along the Haridwar-Rishikesh stretch of the river over the past one-and-a-half months.
Incident Details
Shaurya Nagar, a resident of Bisrakh Jalalpur in Gautam Buddha Nagar district, had travelled to Rishikesh with six friends from Delhi-NCR on Tuesday. According to rescue officials, the group was bathing in the Ganga when Shaurya ventured into deeper waters for a swim. He was swept away by the strong current and disappeared.
Search Operation
Personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local rescue teams launched an intensive search operation in the river soon after the incident. Rescue teams scanned the area downstream and carried out searches at multiple locations along the riverbank, but no trace of the missing youth had been found till the time of filing of this report.
Other Drowning Incidents
In a separate incident, the body of Rahul Chauhan (25), a resident of Gadarpur in US Nagar, was recovered from the Shivpuri area on Wednesday. Rahul had drowned two days earlier while bathing at the restricted Yusuf Beach area in the Muni Ki Reti area. Search operations were also underway to locate newlyweds Manish Arya (30) and Janki (28), residents of Delhi’s Uttam Nagar, who were swept away by the strong river current while bathing in the Ganga near Chandreshwar Nagar in Rishikesh on Sunday. According to police, Janki began drifting away while bathing in the river, and Manish was swept away while trying to rescue her.
Authorities' Appeal
SDRF local in-charge Kavindra Sajwan said, “Most drowning incidents have occurred at restricted riverbanks where tourists ignore warning signs and safety advisories. Several victims had entered deep waters for selfies or recreational activities, leading to fatal accidents.” Authorities have appealed to tourists and pilgrims to avoid bathing at restricted locations and strictly follow safety instructions while visiting the Ganga riverbanks.
