Kolkata: Two teen boys drowned while bathing in the Hooghly near Mousi Ghat in Burrabazar on Sunday. The victims, Mohammad Islam (13), was a native of Sitamarhi in Bihar, and Abdul Sadique (13), was a resident of Maheshtala, South 24 Parganas. Both were students of Jamalia Arabia Madrasha on Rabindra Sarani and resided on the madrasa premises.Cops said, the incident unfolded when three minors arrived at the ghat on a rickshaw accompanied by a madrasa resident, Md Gulab Rabbani (38). While one boy remained on the bank, Islam, Sadique, and Rabbani stepped in the river. Caught in strong currents, they lost their footing and began to drown. Locals rescued Rabbani but the teens slipped underwater and went missing.A Disaster Management Group team initiated a search operation and retrieved both the bodies around 8.35 am. They were declared dead at Medical College & Hospital.According to police sources, the incident occurred around 7:00 a.m. when three minor students arrived at Mousi Ghat on a rickshaw van accompanied by a 38-year-old madrasa resident, Md. Gulab Rabbani. While one boy remained on the bank, Islam, Sadique, and Rabbani entered the river to bathe. They were suddenly caught in strong currents and began to drown. Although local efforts managed to rescue Rabbani, the two 13-year-olds slipped underwater and went missing.Following an alert at 7:35 a.m., a Kolkata Police Disaster Management Group (DMG) team initiated a search operation, retrieving both unconscious bodies around 8:35 a.m. Emergency responders rushed the victims to Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata, where attending doctors declared them brought dead.The North Port Police Station has registered two Unnatural Death cases (UD Case Nos. 124 & 125/2026) to complete statutory procedures. Inquest and post-mortem examinations have been conducted to determine the exact cause of death. Police confirmed that Islam’s body has been handed over to his family, while Sadique’s body remains at the morgue pending procedural clearance from Maheshtala Police Station. Authorities have renewed warnings to citizens against entering hazardous stretches along the riverbank.Local police have repeatedly cautioned citizens against venturing into hazardous or deep stretches of the river along the city’s ghats and have called for added precautions involving children and teenagers.
