A poor family of Ranchi had to suffer due to the alleged callousness of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) where despite the repeated request of the family and the requisition by police the NDRF did not send its divers to fish out the body.

The NDRF team in Ranchi woke up after local residents staged protests on Saturday and criticized the central agency for inaction. Finally, the NDRF sent its divers on Sunday afternoon and the body has yet not been fished out.

On January 26, one Sachchidanand Prasad (40), a marble fitter feared to have died due to drowning at a pond at Bahu Bazar under Chutia police station. The next day the family came to know that Sachchidanand along with one of his friends had gone to the pond for a bath. He has apparently drunk also. The family informed the police and requested to trace him in the pond. 

“The police told us that they have asked the NDTF to provide divers but nobody came. Individually we also tried to talk to the NDRF officials and they outrightly denied that police asked them for divers. On Saturday also when we pressed police and the NDRF they kept us fooling that the team is arriving. They can’t understand the pain we have been facing. We literally begged the police and the NDRF to help us,” said Ruchi, the niece of Sachchidanand.

On being contacted a Ranchi SP Saurabh said that Ranchi police had sent the requisition for divers. “I am personally following this case and the requestion was sent two days back. But NDRF did not respond and we can’t force the NDRF,” said the SP.

The NDRF ultimately sent divers when some people brought the matter to the notice of media and they further tweeted and tagged the NDRF, chief minister Hemant Soren and Ranchi police.

“NDRF team has said that the rescue operation will be continued as the body has not been found. But the situation is very depressing for us. We don’t know whether he is alive but some people said that he died due to drowning. Everybody made us suffer,” said the sister of Sachchidanand Prasad.