A family’s return journey from market turned fatal in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur, as their wooden boat overturned in the mighty Indravati River, leading to the deaths of all four aboard. After days of exhaustive searches through rugged terrain, rescuers recovered the final body on Saturday.
The elderly Bhado, aged 70, lay wedged in dense undergrowth a kilometer downstream. Sunita Kawasi, 25, had been found the day before, 500 meters from the site. Most heartrending were the bodies of Podia, 45, and her two-year-old Rakesh, tied desperately with a towel in a bid to keep the child afloat.
Victims comprised Podia, little Rakesh, Sunita Kawasi, and Bhado. That towel linkage between mother and son paints a vivid, tragic picture of their fight for survival against overwhelming odds.
The grief deepens as Sannu, the breadwinner, toils unaware in Andhra Pradesh. Network blackouts in Naxal zones hinder contact, stranding the community in how to convey the unimaginable loss.
The mishap struck post-Uspari market visit. In this bridge-less, roadless expanse hugging Abujhmad jungles, locals stake their crossings on fragile boats—a gamble that backfired catastrophically for this dozen-strong group swept by rapid waters.
Seasoned villagers recall the Indravati’s grim toll, amplified post-monsoon. Security camps from counter-insurgency drives offer some reassurance, yet infrastructure deficits perpetuate peril for remote Adivasis. Comprehensive development is imperative to shield such areas from nature’s wrath.