Garhani, Bhojpur: Two minor children went missing after drowning in the Banas River near Dhamnia-Shantinagar in the Garhani police station area of Bhojpur district on Saturday afternoon. Six children were swept away by strong currents while bathing. A local youth, Golu, bravely rescued four children, but seven-year-old Himanshu Kumar, son of Chandan Keshari, and ten-year-old Monu Kumar, son of Ravindra Keshari alias Maini, both residents of Shantinagar, remain untraceable.

The incident occurred around 3 PM on Saturday. Following the disappearance of the children, villagers immediately demanded the deployment of an SDRF team. After a delay of approximately three hours in the team's arrival, the agitated villagers blocked the Ara-Sasaram State Highway near Garhani vegetable market, protesting against the police and administration. They alleged that timely intervention by the rescue team could have saved the children.

The SDRF team finally arrived around 6:15 PM, after which the villagers lifted the blockade. The team launched a search operation in the Banas River using boats and other equipment. However, despite five hours of continuous searching into the late evening, there was no trace of the two missing children. The failure to find the children has cast a pall of gloom and anxiety over Shantinagar and surrounding villages. The families are distraught, and the entire locality is in mourning. Villagers have widely praised the courageous efforts of local youth Golu.