Manu River Drowning: College Student’s Body Recovered After 24 Hrs
Kailashahar (Tripura), Dec 17: The body of a 19-year-old first-semester student of Dharmanagar College was recovered from the Manu River in Kailashahar under Unakoti District of Tripura on Wednesday afternoon, nearly 24 hours after he drowned while bathing in the river, triggering grief among family members and raising questions over the rescue response.
The deceased was identified as Debajyoti Ghosh, a resident of the Shib Bari area of Dharmanagar in North Tripura. He was the only son of Jahar Kumar Ghosh, an e-rickshaw driver by profession. Debajyoti had been staying at his grandfather Ajit Ghosh’s residence in the Chhantail area of Kailashahar after attending a family function.
According to sources, the incident occurred on Tuesday around 12:30 pm when Debajyoti went to the Manu River along with relatives for bathing. As he did not know how to swim, he reportedly slipped into deep water and drowned.
Upon receiving information, Kailashahar police rushed to the spot and initiated a search operation with the help of Fire and Emergency Services, Civil Defence, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Tripura State Rifles (TSR). Despite continuous efforts throughout Tuesday and the night, the victim could not be located.
On Wednesday, following demands from local residents and a delegation led by social worker Ajay Deb and Chhantail Gram Panchayat Pradhan Ajit Ghosh, the Kailashahar sub-divisional administration arranged for specialised divers to intensify the rescue operation. Seven trained divers from the Chandipur area were deployed in the Manu River in the presence of Deputy Magistrate Sanjeev Debbarma.
The renewed search began at around 10 am, and the divers recovered Debajyoti’s body at about 1 pm from the Kamranga Bari area under Ward No. 5 of Gournagar Gram Panchayat. The body was sent to Unakoti District Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Officials said Debajyoti had entered the river along with three other youths, including two from Agartala and one local youth. All four were of the same age group and were close relatives. After the recovery, a large number of people gathered at the site, while the bereaved family members were inconsolable.
Family sources said Debajyoti’s parents fell seriously ill after learning about their son’s drowning. The incident has also sparked criticism over the initial rescue efforts, with locals alleging that timely and effective measures were lacking and that the body could only be recovered after local initiative brought in expert divers.
Further proceedings are underway.
