Doctor couple drown in sea at Tajpur, East Midnapore; incident raises coastal safety concerns
Telegraph | 3 April 2026
A young doctor couple from Sodepur in North 24-Parganas drowned in the sea at Tajpur, East Midnapore, on Wednesday evening, triggering fresh concerns over safety lapses along the coastal stretch.
Kuntal Chakraborty, 35, a general surgeon, and his wife Shailaja Bharadwaj, 30, a gynaecologist, were spotted by fishermen near Biswa Bangla beach in Tajpur when they seemed to be struggling to stay afloat.
Mandarmani coastal police were informed. The police recovered the bodies and took them to the Balisai Hospital, where doctors declared them brought dead.
The couple lived in Sodepur’s Vivekananda Park area under the Panihati Municipality.
The police have initiated a case of unnatural death, although the exact cause could not be immediately ascertained.
According to the police and local sources, the couple came to Tajpur for a vacation on Wednesday, travelling by car. They went to the sea before checking into a hotel.
Additional superintendent of police (rural) Atish Biswas said: “From the initial investigation, we have come to know that the doctor couple went to the sea during high tide on Wednesday evening in a relatively secluded area of Tajpur. The tide was rising at that time, and they were swept away by strong waves and drowned. The bodies have been recovered and sent for post-mortem.”
Nur Islam, the driver who had accompanied the couple, said: “Two doctors came to Tajpur on vacation. They parked their car in front of Biswa Bangla Park and went towards the seashore. I could not follow them. After a few hours, I heard that some people had been swept away by the waves. When I saw the bodies being brought out, I went closer out of curiosity. When I saw the bodies, I was shocked. I could not have imagined that they would be those of my employer and his wife.”
Locals said there was no immediate assistance available on the beach at the time of the incident.
The West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front expressed deep condolences over the deaths, stating: “Two extraordinary, compassionate human beings. As doctors, they carried a deep sense of responsibility and humanity in everything they did. Even within their demanding professional lives, they stood firmly beside every fight for justice. They walked with us in every Abhaya march and every programme, quietly yet unshakeably. Their presence always gave strength to the movement.”
The tragedy comes close on the heels of the shocking death of well-known actor Rahul Arunoday Bandyopadhyay, who drowned at Talsari beach in Odisha last Sunday while shooting for a serial.
Earlier on Wednesday, two tourists narrowly escaped a similar fate in Digha. Sunil Mukherjee, 48, and his granddaughter Swana Mukherjee, 16, were swept away by strong waves while bathing at Khanika Ghat in New Digha. However, they were rescued by nulias (lifeguards) and admitted to the Digha State General Hospital.
Police sources said drowning incidents along the Digha-Mandarmani-Tajpur coastline are often linked to tourists venturing into the sea under the influence of alcohol or ignoring safety advisories and going beyond permissible limits.
Several such fatalities have been reported in recent years across Mandarmani and Tajpur. To curb such incidents, the police have intensified surveillance along the beaches, while trained lifeguards have been deployed at vulnerable points.
Additional reporting by Subhasish Chaudhuri in Calcutta