BHUBANESWAR: Janmashtami celebrations turned into mourning in Kakarudrapur village on the outskirts of the city where two minor brothers drowned in a pond during the morning hours of Monday.
Soumya Ranjan (12) and his younger brother Sipun (11) had gone to the pond for a bath when the incident took place. The two were sons of Laxmidhar Parida, who works for a private firm in the city.
The boys had never gone to the pond before. On Monday, the two kids requested their mother to allow them to take a dip in a pond because it was a holiday and a religious festival. She agreed on the condition that the two have to return early, said sources close to the family. The two brothers left their house at 9 am to take a dip in “Matha Pokhari,” the pond located in Jena Sahi area of the village. However, when the duo did not return till 10 am, the panicky family members went to the spot to look for them.
Deputy Fire Officer Ramesh Chandra Majhi said, the fire office received a call at 10:30 am that two boys had drowned in the pond. The suspicion arose as slippers of the two kids were found near the water body.
A team of firefighters reached the spot and recovered the bodies. A pall of gloom descended on the village as the family members were inconsolable. While Soumya was studying in Class VII, Sipun a Class VI student.