SAMBALPUR: A Class IX student went missing after reportedly jumping into the Mahanadi river from Chaunpur bridge in the early hours of Saturday.
Kajal Sahani, a student of the Hindi School near Golebazar, left for school at her usual time. However, an hour later, morning walkers saw her near the Chaunpur bridge, where she parked her bicycle and jumped into the river before anyone could stop her.
Witnesses immediately alerted the police and Fire department. Three teams from the Fire departments of Sambalpur, Burla, and Maneswar were dispatched to search for the girl. Despite the strong currents and rising water levels, the search continued for hours until heavy rainfall forced a halt.
A team from Balangir later joined the search efforts from downstream.
SDPO Tophan Bag stated, “The search continued until around 4 pm and will resume on Sunday. The family has not reported any domestic issues, but our inquiry is on to determine the cause.”
Kajal’s family is distraught, especially since her elder sister also drowned 12 years ago as a child. The father of Kajal alleged that the school authorities are responsible and spoke to the police to investigate in that direction. However, it is still unknown if the girl went to the bridge after going to school or went there directly.