SIX CHILDREN DROWN, FOUR RESCUED, TWO MISSING

SIX CHILDREN DROWN, FOUR RESCUED, TWO MISSING

1-NOV –ENG 5

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA---------------------------On Saturday afternoon, six children were swept away by a strong current while bathing in the Banas River, near Dhamaniya Shantinagar in the Garhani police station area. Four of the children were rescued, but there was no trace of the other two by late evening. The missing children have been identified as seven-year-old Himanshu Kumar, son of Chandan Keshari, and ten-year-old Monu Kumar, son of Ravindra Keshari (alias Maini)—both residents of Shantinagar.

It is reported that the children were bathing in the Banas River around 3:00 PM on Saturday when they were caught in a strong current and swept away. Hearing their cries, a local resident named Golu jumped into the river and, displaying great courage, managed to pull four of the children—Golu, Prashant, Santoshi Kumari, and Priya Kumari—to safety. However, Himanshu and Monu were swept away by the swift current. Golu’s heroic act has become a major topic of discussion among the villagers.

Following the incident, the villagers requested the administration to deploy an SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) team to search for the missing children. When the team failed to arrive even after three hours, the villagers lost their patience. In a state of outrage, they blocked the Ara-Sasaram State Highway near the Garhani vegetable market and staged a protest against the police and the administration, which disrupted traffic. The blockade was lifted once the SDRF team finally arrived.

At approximately 6:15 PM, the SDRF team entered the Banas River and began searching for the two missing children. The search operation continued into the late evening. Meanwhile, the families of the two missing children are devastated, and there is deep distress among their loved ones. People from Shantinagar and surrounding villages have gathered along the riverbank, holding onto the hope that the children will be found safe.