RAIGARH: A 38-year-old man reportedly threw his three minor sons into a river before jumping into it apparently over a family dispute in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh on Sunday, police said.
A search operation was launched to trace them in the river, which is in spate due to heavy rains in the area, they said.
"The incident took place early in the morning at a bridge on Maand river under Kharsia police station limits," Raigarh Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh said.
The man, identified as Kartikeshwar Rathiya, a native of Edu village, was heading to Barra village along with his sons Khirsagar (5), Narmada (3) and eight-month-old Tej Prakash on a motorcycle, he said.
He suddenly stopped the vehicle on the bridge and threw his children into the river and later jumped into it, he said.
"After receiving the information, police rushed to the spot along with some divers and started a search operation in the river. However, none of them have been traced so far," he said.
As per the preliminary information, family dispute is suspected to be the reason behind the extreme step taken by Rathiya, a worker in the electricity wing of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), he said.
Further investigation is in progress, he added.