A heartbreaking incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon in the Chanderhi Bahiyar area under Dhamdaha police station in Purnia district, where three minor boys drowned while bathing in the Bhavesa Dhari (river). The deceased have been identified as Mithani Kumar (15), son of Brahmadev Rishi; Rahul Kumar (14), son of Ajay Rishi; and Happy Kumar (12), son of Bablu Rishi, all residents of Shankar Chowk Mahadalit Tola in Ward No. 09 of Thadhi Rajo Panchayat. The three boys were close friends.

According to local residents, the incident took place around 2 PM on Wednesday when the boys went to bathe in the Bhavesa Dhari, located in front of the Chanderhi brick kiln. They misjudged the depth and strong current of the water and were swept away one by one. Seeing the children drowning, people working in nearby fields and the brick kiln raised an alarm and jumped into the river to rescue them. Villagers made strenuous efforts to pull the children out of the water, but by then it was too late, and all three had died.

Upon receiving information about the incident, Dhamdaha Sub-Divisional Officer Anupam and Station House Officer Ravishankar Kumar arrived at the scene with police forces. The police administration assessed the situation, took custody of the bodies, and prepared a panchnama. The bodies were then sent for post-mortem examination to Purnia Sadar Hospital via the sub-divisional hospital. The entire Shankar Chowk Mahadalit Tola is gripped by profound grief following the death of three children from the same locality. The families are devastated. Administrative officials consoled the bereaved families and assured them that the process for providing government compensation (ex-gratia grant) under disaster management rules would be initiated soon.