2 Bihar teens volunteering at Pitru Paksha mela, drown trying to help friends

GAYA: Two teenagers drowned and three others were rescued on Wednesday morning after four of them jumped into the Falgu river to help their friend during the Pitru Paksha Amavasya in Bihar’s Gaya, people familiar with the matter said.
Local residents said the five were cadets of the Scouts and Guides who had been deployed to help out the authorities at the riverbank on the occasion of Pitru Paksha Amavasya.
The deceased were identified as scout Alok Kumar (16) and guide Risha Kumari (17) of Gaya district’s Belaganj locality. Manisha Kumari (16), Nansi Kumari (17) and Vikas Kumar (17) were pulled out by SDRF personnel deployed at the spot.
Gaya district magistrate Thiyagarajan SM condoled the tragic death and directed the disaster management officer to immediately extend an ex-gratia assistance of ₹4 lakh to the next-of-kin of the teenagers.
Thiyagarajan, however, underlined that the deceased were not on duty and were taking a bath outside the Mela area in their private capacity.
Officials, however, said Scout and Guide in-charge Madhu Sharma was performing rituals on the last day of Pitru Paksha Amavasya on the last day of Pitri Paksha when the five scouts and guides went to take a bath on the northern side of the rubber dam.
One of them entered deep water and was drowning. The other four jumped to save him and also started drowning.
Local residents and pilgrims who spotted them raised an alarm. A team of the State Disaster Response Force pulled out the five and rushed them to Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital (ANMMCH) at Gaya. But two of them did not survive.
Senior superintendent of police Ashish Bharti said the SDRF team was still searching if there was anyone else after some locals said one more child also drowned in the river.
Local residents demanded strict action against the negligent officials responsible for the death of the young children, asserting that the district administration had deputed NCC, NSS and Scouts and Guides cadets as volunteers during the 15-day-long Pitru Paksha Mela.