Saturday, March 29, 2025
Gaya, Bihar | Sept 25, 2025 – In a heart-wrenching incident, five Class 12 students drowned in the Falgu River in Bihar’s Gaya district on Thursday afternoon. The teenagers, all from Wajitpur village in Belaganj, had gone to bathe in the river after finishing their board exams.
According to locals, 13 students of Nagarjun High School, Panari entered the river near the Panari bridge on the Belaganj–Khijarsarai border. One student reportedly got trapped in a sand pit and began drowning. In an attempt to rescue him, another student jumped into the deep water. Panic spread as others followed, leading to the drowning of multiple boys.
Fishermen and villagers rushed to the spot and pulled several students out. They were taken to Khijarsarai Hospital, but due to their critical condition, some were referred to private nursing homes and Magadh Medical College, Gaya.
Despite rescue efforts, five students lost their lives. The deceased were identified as:
Mohammad Kaif (17)
Mohammad Shahnawaz (18)
Mohammad Sarikh (17)
Mohammad Anas (16)
Mohammad Sufiyan (16)
Two students – Tauseef (20) and Shahil (18) – are under treatment at Magadh Medical College. Six others managed to escape safely.
The deaths triggered grief and anger in the area. Villagers alleged that Belaganj police did not arrive for hours, while Khijarsarai police reached the spot late in the evening. In protest, locals refused to allow post-mortem examinations, keeping the bodies in the village till late night.
Rumors also spread that the boys may have entered the river to shoot a reel for social media, though no confirmation has been made.
The tragedy has cast a pall of sorrow over Wajitpur village, where families mourn the sudden loss of five promising young lives.
