Jorhat, Aug 2: A massive search operation was launched in Assam’s Jorhat district on Sunday after a woman allegedly jumped into the Bhogdoi River with her one-and-a-half-year-old toddler, leaving both missing.
The incident took place at Salmora in West Jorhat. The missing woman has been identified as Krishnajyoti Bora, a resident of the Maloupam area.
Jorhat Police reached the spot and began an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“We received the news around 9 am. Krishnajyoti Bora had been facing family problems for a long time. We, as villagers, had often intervened and tried to resolve the disputes. We thought everything had settled down, but today we were devastated to hear this news,” a local resident said.
According to local residents, Bora entered the river carrying her young child on Sunday morning.
Personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), assisted by local authorities, launched an extensive search operation soon after the incident was reported.
“We received information around 9 am that a woman had jumped into the river with her child. We immediately rushed from Jorhat and have been conducting search operations since around 9:30 am. It is the monsoon season, the river is swollen, and the current is very strong. We are continuing the search, but so far we have not been able to locate them,” an SDRF official said.
As news of the incident spread, anxious residents gathered along the riverbank at Salmora as rescue teams combed the fast-flowing Bhogdoi River.
The recent rise in the river’s water level has made the search operation difficult, with locals fearing that the strong current may have swept the mother and child far downstream.
Police said the exact circumstances leading to the incident would be established after the rescue operation and subsequent investigation.
The search for the missing mother and her toddler is continuing at the time of filing this report.