Three drown, boy missing in the Rangit

Gangtok, March 28: Three persons drowned and a boy went missing in the Rangit when a family was picnicking at Majitar in South Sikkim yesterday.

While the bodies of Kishan Rai, 48, his wife and nephew were fished out yesterday, search was continuing till this evening to trace his 14-year-old son.

The tragedy occurred when Rai’s son and 16-year-old nephew jumped into the river and were caught in a spate. Rai and his wife also plunged into the water to save them and all four were swept away.

Sources said Rai was from Kurseong and was working as a driver with a hydel power project company at Jorethang in the South District. His brother’s son, Ritesh Roka, had come to his house from Kurseong for vacation.

Rai decided to go on an outing with his wife Nisha Rai, 36, son Aron and nephew Ritesh Roka yesterday to celebrate Holi. The family went to the bank of the Rangit at Majitar, 6km from Jorethang, in a private car around three in the afternoon.

“Upon reaching there, the two boys, without waiting for the couple, jumped into the river and were caught in the spate,” said Mandeep Tuli, the deputy inspector general of police, Gangtok.

Kishan and Nisha also took into water in an effort to save the boys, but their attempt was futile. None of the four knew swimming and all were swept away by the river.

“A few labourers working nearby raised the alarm and informed the police about the incident,” said Tuli.

The bodies of Rai, Nisha and Ritesh were fished out of water by local people 2km downstream Majitar a few hours later yesterday. A team consisting of police personnel and villagers searched the river today for Aron and the operation was called off after darkness fell.

“All police stations downstream the spot of the tragedy have been alerted. A case of unnatural death has been registered at Jorethang police station,” said the DIG.

The three bodies were handed over to the relatives after post-mortem at the Namchi District Hospital. According to the doctor at the hospital, abrupt non-supply of oxygen had caused the death of all the three.

Ritesh had just appeared for the Class X board examination and was studying at a school in Kurseong. Aron was a Class VIII student at St Francis School in Jorethang, where he used to stay in a rented apartment with his parents.

Nisha was a homemaker.

BSF suicide

A 30-year-old BSF constable purportedly committed suicide by shooting himself at a border outpost at Satkura in Jalpaiguri’s Manikganj on Wednesday afternoon.

Nitin Deshmukh, a resident of Maharashtra, had rejoined duty yesterday after a leave. Around 5pm, Deshmukh went missing and after a search by his colleagues, his body was found with bullet injuries in a room near the border outpost.

Police said he had shot himself with his service revolver.

The Telegraph