Palamu: Six drown during Karam Puja ritual immersions

Six people, including four minors, drowned in two separate incidents in Jharkhand’s Palamu district during the ceremonial immersion of ritual items for the Karam Puja festival on Wednesday.

In Bokaya village, five youths were swept away by strong currents in the Koel River while immersing Karam tree branches. The victims have been identified as Amit Kumar Thakur (22), Nitish Kumar Singh (18), Vishal Paswan (16), Raja Singh (12), and Hemant Kumar Singh (8). Palamu SP Kapil Choudhary noted that an eight-year-old boy drifted into deep water, and while four others attempted to rescue him, all five ultimately drowned.

In a second incident in the Nani Jharia hamlet, 15-year-old Simpi Kumari died after slipping and falling into a pond during an immersion ceremony.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren expressed his condolences, describing the incidents as “extremely heartbreaking and distressing.”