Tragic incidents take lives of 4 in UP

What was meant to be a day of celebration and family bonding but it turned into a day of grief and heartbreak in two separate incidents in Uttar Pradesh, as the festival of Raksha Bandhan was marred by devastating tragedies in Deoria and Fatehpur districts.

In the Lar area of Deoria district, a man and his five-year-old son lost their lives when a large, old tree suddenly collapsed on their motorcycle on Saturday. The tragic incident occurred on Ramjanaki Road near Pipra Chauraha, directly in front of Jaiswal Petrol Pump, under the jurisdiction of the Lar police station.

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According to police reports, Santosh Chauhan (37), a resident of Bhitaha village in the Madanpur police station area, was en route to his wife’s maternal home in Rautpar village with his wife Mamta Devi (33) and their three children, Shivani (13), Sonali (8), and Shiva (5), to celebrate Raksha Bandhan.

As they approached Pipra Chauraha, a massive wild tree suddenly uprooted and fell on their motorcycle, crushing all five family members.

Passersby quickly alerted authorities, and police along with locals launched a rescue operation. Due to the size of the tree, a JCB machine was required to lift it.

Despite the quick response, Santosh and his young son Shiva were declared dead upon arrival at the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Lar.

Mamta Devi and her two daughters sustained critical injuries and are currently undergoing treatment.

In another equally heart-wrenching incident, two real sisters drowned in the Yamuna River in the Lalouli police station area of Fatehpur district on Saturday morning while performing the traditional Raksha Bandhan ritual of offering Kajaliya.

The incident took place around 7:30 AM in Naya Dera Musataur village. According to eyewitnesses, 18-year-old Soni Nishad entered the river to bathe but was swept away by the strong current. Her elder sister, 24-year-old Anjali Nishad, wife of Dilip, jumped in to save her but tragically drowned as well.

Around 35 villagers, including the sisters and their family, had come to the river on a tractor-trolley for the festival. Moments before the tragedy, the sisters took a joyful selfie with their brother Tinku, holding Kajaliya in their hands, a picture that now serves as a haunting memory.

Upon receiving the news, Anjali’s in-laws rushed to the site from Harvansh Ka Purwa village in Banda district. The girls’ father, Maiyadeen, and their mother, Asha Devi, along with siblings Tinku, Shivam, and Vinay, are devastated by the loss.

Inspector Shamsher Bahadur Singh of Lalouli police station confirmed that Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) divers are actively conducting search operations. “Preliminary findings suggest both sisters were carried away by the river’s strong current. Police teams remain on site,” he said.