The bodies of the three students who drowned in the Dwarakeswar river yesterday were recovered today by divers from the Disaster Management team in two phases.
Two bodies were found approximately 500 metres from the spot where the boys had entered the water, while the third was located a further 200 metres downstream.
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The deceased, Parameswar Mishra, Arkadeep Das, and Sayan Chatterjee, all aged 15, were Class IX students of Bishnupur High School in Bankura. According to their friends, the boys had skipped classes and gone to swim in the river, which was swollen due to recent incessant rainfall. They were swept away by the strong current soon after entering the water.
Jibananda Mukherjee, the headmaster of the school, stated: “We checked the attendance sheet and found they did not attend classes yesterday.” However, the guardians and classmates of the boys insisted that they had been present at school that day.
Reportedly, a group of 10 students left the school for the riverside after the mid-day meal, and three of them decided to go for a swim. Subham Banerjee, a classmate who alerted the police after witnessing the incident, said: “They dared to get into the river even though we repeatedly warned them. They jumped into the water near a broken bridge and were swept away immediately. We were following them to take pictures, but suddenly they vanished beneath the water.”
Following the statements made by the students, police have expressed uncertainty about the exact sequence of events. Some guardians and local political leaders blamed the lack of school supervision, which they said allowed the boys to leave unnoticed and led to the tragic incident.
Suprakash Das, SDPO of Bishnupur, said: “We will conduct a thorough inquiry into the matter.”