Kamal Ghorui
LUDHIANA: One moment they were singing bhajans, the next they were in the river, flailing about in a life-and-death struggle. Still in shock from their close shave, the survivors of Friday’s Vrindavan boat tragedy are struggling to come to grips with what happened and aren’t sure how many of them made it out alive.Vrindavan circle officer Peetam Pal Singh said, “A group of over 30 devotees from Ludhiana had come to Vrindavan by bus. Some of them went boating when they met with the accident. As of now, 10 persons have died, some of whom are from Ludhiana. Five persons are missing and many others have been rescued. The rescue operation is still on.”Survivor Chetan, who runs a garments shop in Jagraon, seemed to be in a daze when TOI spoke with him. “All of us were singing bhajans in the boat. We didn’t see what we collided with but, all of a sudden, the boat capsized and we were drowning in the Yamuna. It was terrifying. Thankfully, divers on the banks immediately jumped in and rescued many of us.”Asked if he knew who all survived, Chetan said, “I am clueless. I have been visiting civil hospital and the DM’s office to identify people.”A mother-son duo from Jagraon — frequent visitors to Vrindavan — who had organised the ill-fated trip are among those who drowned.The April 9-12 trip was organised by Banke Bihari Club for the fourth consecutive year. The group, comprising Ludhiana and Jagraon residents, left by bus around 8pm Thursday and reached Vrindavan on Friday morning. They went to Keshi Ghat on the banks of the Yamuna in two boats, one of which overturned after allegedly colliding with a floating pontoon. Most of the dead are from Ludhiana.Some of the deceased have been identified as Charanjit alias Kala, Pinky, Ishan Kataria and organisers Kavita Behal and her son Madhur. Those rescued include Lovi Behal and Yashu Bajaj, who also run Banke Bihari Club, Radha Arora and Vijay Behal.Residents of Geeta Colony in Jagraon said some Vrindavan devotees formed the club around four years ago. They would pool funds and organise an annual trip to Vrindavan.Tanishk Jain, an advocate from Ludhiana, was among those rescued. When TOI contacted his family in Ludhiana, his brother Ridhim Jain said, “Tanishk escaped unhurt and is safe now.”Ludhiana helplineLudhiana deputy commissioner Himanshu Jain said the administration had opened 24×7 dedicated helplines for the tragedy — 01624223226 (SDM Jagraon) and 01612403100 (deputy commissioner, Ludhiana). Special teams of civil and police officers have been sent to Vrindavan for better coordination with the authorities.CM condoles deathPunjab CM Bhagwant Mann expressed grief over the loss of lives in the tragedy and posted on X, “I spoke with Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Ji regarding the Mathura boat accident. Every possible assistance will be provided to the victims.”In a press statement, Mann added, “It is unfortunate that a boat carrying 32 residents of Jagraon on a pilgrimage to Vrindavan capsized in the Yamuna. Some devotees lost their lives. I am in constant touch with Uttar Pradesh govt for relief and rescue operations.”
