A minimum of 46 individuals, 37 of whom were children, lost their lives due to drowning during the Jivitputrika festival in Bihar, an eastern state of India. The tragic event occurred on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, as families congregated near water bodies to perform traditional bathing ceremonies associated with the three-day religious festival.
Officials in Bihar attributed the fatalities to the high water levels in the region’s rivers and ponds, which were a result of recent heavy rainfall. Despite the hazardous conditions, many attendees of the festival went ahead with the bathing rituals. Authorities have also voiced concerns about a potential rise in the death toll.
The drownings occurred across 15 districts in Bihar within a 24-hour period, with 43 bodies being recovered by officials. Three individuals were still unaccounted for and are believed to be dead.
The Aurangabad District in Bihar was especially impacted, witnessing the drowning of eight minors in two villages during a communal bath in a local pond. “The bodies of seven children there were retrieved as of late Wednesday, but one was still missing,” stated Saurabh Kumar, a local law enforcement official.
The Jivitputrika festival is an integral tradition in many northern Indian states, marked by mothers praying for their children’s longevity. The ritual involves women fasting for 24 hours and subsequently heading to rivers and ponds for a purifying bath, often accompanied by their children. The lack of precautionary measures was evident as many families overlooked the potential risks.
This unfortunate incident adds to the list of fatal accidents that have occurred during religious festivals in India. Earlier in July, a religious assembly in Uttar Pradesh witnessed a stampede that resulted in at least 121 deaths due to overcrowding and inadequate exits. As per officials, incidents such as drownings and stampedes are common during significant religious events in India, which are often marked by large gatherings with minimal supervision or safety measures.
In response to this tragedy, the government of Bihar has announced monetary compensation for the bereaved families. Each family is slated to receive around $4,784 to assist with funeral expenses and support. However, the emotional distress and loss experienced by these families is immeasurable, as the festival, which was supposed to bring blessings, ended in catastrophe.
Alongside the compensation initiative, an investigation is underway by local police and disaster management teams to determine why participants were allowed to bathe under such perilous conditions. Relatives of the victims and affected families are seeking answers, urging that future events be better managed to prevent similar tragedies.
