CUTTACK: An incident which was in equal parts shocking and incredulous, a 10-month-old baby survived after her father jumped into a river along with her in a suicide bid, here on Sunday. The baby girl’s diapers, apparently, acted as life jacket and kept her afloat while her father Prashant Pradhan, a native of Sandhuasi in Kandarpur, is still missing in the floodwaters of Sidua river. Prashant took the extreme step at Sainda within Cuttack Sadar police limits following a quarrel with his wife Dipali Pradhan on the day.
The couple had gone to Kedareswar temple along with their daughter. While returning, they went to the river to see the floodwater. Sources said there was a fight between Prakash and Dipali over a trivial issue. Provoked by the quarrel, Prakash snatched the child from Dipali and threw her into the river. He too followed suit.
On hearing the screams, locals rushed to spot and managed to rescue the child. However, Prakash remained untraceable. Fortunately, the 10-month-old girl was wearing diaper which helped her remain afloat. The girl was admitted to Shishu Bhwan in Cuttack. On being informed, fire services personnel reached the spot and started search operations. Prakash could not be traced till reports last came in.