Agra: What began as a festive Dussehra celebration in Agra’s Kheragarh on Thursday turned into a day of mourning when 13 youths and teenagers from Kusiyapur Dungarwala village were swept away in the Utangan river during a Durga idol immersion. Four bodies have been recovered so far, while nine remain missing despite an overnight search operation. Rescue teams from the SDRF, NDRF, and police are continuing the search, with the Army also called in for assistance.
The incident occurred when nearly 40 to 50 villagers, including men, women, and children, gathered at the riverbank to immerse a four-foot idol of Goddess Durga installed at the Chamard Mata temple during Navratri. While the women remained on the banks, about a dozen young men carried the idol into the river. According to eyewitnesses, they were holding hands to support each other when they suddenly slipped into a deep pit hidden beneath the surface.
“One of the boys lost his footing and fell into the pit. The others tried to hold on, but one after another, they were dragged in by the current,” said Ramesh, a villager who was present at the spot.
Panic spread quickly as cries for help filled the air. Villagers rushed into the water and managed to pull out Vishnu, 20, who was in a critical state and later admitted to SN Medical College in Agra. But others were not as fortunate. After an hour and a half of frantic efforts, police and local volunteers recovered the bodies of Ompal, 25, and Gagan, 24. Late at night, the body of 17-year-old Manoj was found. On Friday morning, rescuers recovered the body of 22-year-old Bhagwati, while the search continues for the remaining nine.
Distraught families prayed before the idol at the riverbank for the safe return of the missing. Others vented their anger at the authorities. “There were no safety measures, no arrangements. Where was the police when our children were drowning? If the administration had been alert, this tragedy could have been avoided,” said villager Ramveer, whose nephew is among the missing.
The anger boiled over into protests. Villagers staged a road blockade late Thursday night and even smashed the windshield of the SDM’s vehicle. Police Commissioner Ram Badan Singh reached the spot on Friday morning and appealed for calm. “We request everyone to maintain peace and allow rescue teams to work without hindrance. All efforts are being made to trace the missing,” he said through a loudspeaker.
DCP West Atul Sharma defended the police’s role, stating that the official immersion site had been designated under the Utangan river bridge, where police teams were stationed. “The villagers were advised not to go into the middle of the river and were told to take the idol to Kaila Devi for immersion. Instead, they diverted to the Dungarwala stretch, which is unsafe and not meant for immersions,” he said.
By Friday morning, Kusiyapur had turned silent. The village that just days earlier was alive with devotional songs and prayers during Navratri was now mourning. No cooking fires were lit, and the air was filled with wails of grieving families. “In ten days, we saw joy and devotion fill this village. On the eleventh day, everything was gone. We are left with only tears,” said elderly resident Shyam Lal.
