Bulandshahr : A 16-year-old boy died after allegedly being attacked by a crocodile while bathing in the Ganga river at Avantika Devi Ganga Ghat in Bulandshahr district on Wednesday.
The incident occurred around 1 pm when Anuj, a resident of Ramgarhi locality in Jahangirabad, went to the ghat with his family for a holy dip. “Around 40 members of our family had reached the ghat in a tractor-trolley after a night-long jagran at home.
Everyone had finished bathing and come out when Anuj told me he was going in for another dip. About half an hour later, we found him trapped near the barricading and immediately informed the police,” Anuj’s uncle, Mahendra, said. The exact cause will be ascertained after a detailed inquiry,” sub-divisional magistrate Manish Kumar said. The incident has revived concerns among villagers living along the Ganga, who said crocodiles sometimes move towards inhabited areas when the river swells during the monsoon. “During floods, crocodiles sometimes enter villages and are spotted near agricultural fields and residential areas,” a resident said.
“Preliminary information suggests the boy was attacked by an aquatic animal. The forest department has been directed to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.
He added that family members raised an alarm, following which the animal could not drag Anuj deeper into the water. He was taken to a hospital in Anupshahr but died on the way. His body was sent for autopsy.