Dhuleti celebrations turn tragic: Two cousins drown in Malpur, three friends lose lives in Surat

The festive spirit of Dhuleti turned into mourning across Gujarat after two separate drowning incidents in Aravalli and Surat districts claimed the lives of five youths and children, sending shockwaves through the state on the day of Holi celebrations.

In a heart-rending incident from Malpur taluka of Aravalli district, two cousin brothers drowned while bathing in a village pond after playing Dhuleti. The incident occurred in Nava (Jambu Fali) village, where the victims, identified as Raychand Damor and Jaimin Damor, entered the pond to clean themselves following the festivities. The two boys, students of Classes 5 and 6, reportedly ventured into deeper waters and drowned.

The tragedy has devastated the Damor family. A team from the Modasa fire brigade carried out a rescue operation and later recovered the bodies after strenuous efforts. The bodies were sent to the Malpur Community Health Centre for post-mortem examination.

A similar tragic incident was reported from Mangrol taluka in Surat district. Three friends drowned while bathing in the Kim river near Pansara village on the occasion of Dhuleti. The deceased have been identified as Chandrabhushan Singh, Happy Singh and Sanjay Dhanji Mangukiya.

Fire brigade personnel, along with local swimmers, launched a search operation and retrieved all three bodies from the river. The bodies were later shifted to the Kim Primary Health Centre. The Kosamba police have registered a case and initiated further investigation into the incident.

The twin tragedies have cast a pall of gloom over Holi celebrations in Gujarat, once again highlighting the dangers of entering deep water bodies during festive outings.