Three drown during idol immersion in Agra; Akhilesh blames UP govt for lack of arrangements

Three men drowned during an idol immersion in the Utangan river in Agra district, police said on Friday. The incident occurred in the Khairagarh area on Thursday when nine people slipped into deep water during the immersion. While locals managed to rescue one person, the bodies of Gagan (26), Ompal (32) and Bhagwati (20) were recovered later, police said. DCP (West) Atul Sharma said a search operation was underway for the missing people. Earlier, District Magistrate Arvind Mallappa Bangari said that six people were missing and that a team of local divers, police, and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel had been pressed into service for the rescue operation. The administration had designated a specific place for immersion, but these people chose another place to immerse the idol, Bangari said. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the loss of lives. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, meanwhile, targeted the BJP-led state government for the tragic incident. In a post on X, Yadav said, ''Many people have lost their lives on the holy occasion of idol immersion in Agra due to the lack of arrangements by the government. The search for others is still going on.'' "Why does the BJP government always fail to make adequate arrangements before major events? To hide its failure, it then conceals the casualty figures. Everyone should be given adequate compensation," the Samajwadi Party chief added.

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