The number of deaths by drowning in the holy city being on the spiral has left the people deeply concerned. However, the police have chosen to do nothing to stop the trend of the city from turning into a death trap for the people, particularly those who bathe or dive in the river without knowing swimming. With insufficient safety arrangements available on the Ganga ghats, as many as 18 lives have been lost just in a month. After the end of the Ardh Kumbh mela, the Jal police- deputed cops have returned and the security of the bathers in Ganga is absolutely in the hands of the Almighty, say the observers.
In a month, the city police station alone reported 20 deaths from different Ganga ghats, including Har Ki Pauri, Sarvanand Ghat, laltarao bridge, Birlaghat, Chandighat and Ganga canal. Under Shyampur thana, a youth and two children had been swept away by the swift currents of the Ganga. The bodies of two of them had been recovered but that of another is yet to be traced. Earlier this month on May 5, two students of Kankhal drowned and on 10 May, three youths died allegedly after being electrocuted at Har Ki Pauri. Besides, a 13-year-old died while taking dip in Ganga. In spite of the rising incidents of deaths in Ganga, the district administration and the police have not swung into preventive action.
When asked, the SSP Santhil Abudai Krishn Raj said, “As and when needed, the divers are called. Besides, our team members are alert. Whenever something like this happens we promptly initiate the rescue operation.”