Gopalganj: A 19-year-old youth drowned in the Gandak canal on Sunday during Muharram celebrations in Bihar’s Gopalganj district, prompting a large-scale rescue operation and widespread grief in his village.
The victim, identified as Zahid—also known as Golu—was a resident of Chak Yoga village and the son of Kamruddin, also known locally as Guddu Rai. According to local sources, Zahid had joined a Tajia procession to mark the Muharram observance and later arrived at the Maksudpur canal fair along with friends. At some point, the group jumped from the Maksudpur bridge into the Gandak canal to bathe. While his four friends swam safely to the banks, Zahid failed to resurface.
Efforts to locate him were initially led by locals and officials including police station in-charge Dinesh Kumar Yadav, CO Vikesh Kumar, and local representatives such as Ramashish Singh and village head Santosh Kumar Gupta. As hours passed without success, a team from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) was called in to assist in the search.
Zahid’s body was eventually recovered late on Sunday evening, triggering heart-wrenching scenes among his family. His father Kamruddin, mother Tara Khatoon, sister Munni Khatoon, and grandfather Ilaqat Mian were inconsolable, surrounded by mourning neighbours and relatives.
