Satna (Madhya Pradesh): A youth drowned during immersion of Goddess Durga idol in the river here on Saturday, the police said. The victim’s body was retrieved on Sunday morning. The location where this incident occurred had already been declared a restricted zone for idol immersions.
According to the police, the man who died has been identified as Chirag Agarwal. He drowned near a river along an old bridge on Satna-Maihar Road. According to reports, Chirag and his companions had gone to immerse idol of Goddess Durga late on Saturday night at Dalibaba.
They reached the old bridge, a spot that had been marked as dangerous due to the bridge's deteriorating condition and deep water. Despite barricades being set up, they were removed by the crowd, allowing the immersion to take place at that very spot.
As the idol was about to be immersed, Chirag’s T-shirt got entangled with it, causing him to fall into the water. Panic ensued as locals informed the police, but the darkness made rescue attempts futile.
The search resumed on Sunday morning and the body was recovered by the State Disaster Emergency Response Force with the help of local divers. Following a post-mortem, his body was handed over to his family. Investigation is on.
