Sacred ritual ends in tragedy as Yamuna claims three young lives

The Yamuna, flowing along the border of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, turned into a river of sorrow this week, swallowing three young lives from Gwali village in Shillai constituency, Sirmaur district. A sacred journey ended in tragedy, leaving families shattered and an entire village in mourning.

On Tuesday afternoon, villagers from Gwali returned from Haridwar after performing Ganga Snan with the holy palanquin of their kuldevta. As part of tradition, they halted at the Yamuna Ghat in Paonta Sahib to bathe the deity’s palanquin. It was here that fate struck.

Villagers recounted the horrifying sequence: Amit stepped first into the river. When the strong current pulled him under, his friend Kamlesh jumped in to save him. In moments, Kamlesh was also swept away. Seeing his brother in danger, Rajneesh leapt into the river, desperate to rescue both. But the merciless Yamuna claimed all three. The tragedy cut deeper knowing that all three were the only sons of their families.

Villagers said the river’s deadly currents are worsened by whirlpools formed due to an unused barrage built by the Uttar Pradesh government in the 1980s. These hidden whirlpools make the river treacherous, particularly for those performing sacred rituals.

“Everything happened in a blink. We tried to save them, but the current was stronger than all of us,” recalled Ravinder Singh, a villager who witnessed the tragedy.

For two agonising days, families kept vigil by the riverbank. Amit’s body was recovered on Wednesday near Kalesar in Haryana, nearly 10 km downstream. The brothers remained missing until Friday, when Kamlesh’s body was found near Pratap Nagar in Yamunanagar and Rajneesh near Hathnikund Barrage. DSP Manvendra Singh Thakur confirmed the recovery and the brothers were cremated at the Yamuna Ghat — the very place where their devotion had turned to heartbreak.

This morning, Industries, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour and Employment Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan visited Gwali village to console the grieving families. Expressing deep sorrow, he shared in their pain and assured that the administration has been instructed to act immediately. Long-term safety measures, including barricades, warning boards, regulated bathing zones and permanent deployment of professional divers, will be implemented. He also said the matter would be taken up with the Uttar Pradesh government to dismantle the unused barrage causing whirlpools, ensuring such tragedies are never repeated.

The grief at Paonta Sahib is not new. In the past two decades, more than 60 people have lost their lives at this Ghat. “How many more sons must this river take before our cries are heard?” asked Kundan Singh, an elder from Shillai, his voice trembling as he watched the pyres.