Assam boat capsize: Missing circle officer’s body recovered

Sanju Das, Dhubri revenue circle officer and magistrate, was on a boat on the Brahmaputra river to inspect an erosion-affected area in the district Thursday (September 29) morning. When the boat was on its way back, it accidentally hit an underwater pillar of the under-construction Dhubri-Fulbari bridge and capsized.

The boat had over 25 people on board. A group of local people and government officials rushed to rescue them but Das was nowhere to be found.

Speaking to indianexpress.com, Moferjal Sarkar, an official of the Assam Disaster Management Authority at Dhubri, informed rescue personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) recovered his body around 10.30 am, roughly 200 metres ahead of the spot where the boat capsized.

“His body might have been trapped inside the sand on the riverbed in some way. It must have swollen by staying underwater these past two days and it floated today. NDRF and SDRF personnel were continuing search and rescue operations in the area and they noticed his body around 10:30 am,” the official said.

Sarkar also said the circle officer’s body is currently undergoing post-mortem examination at Dhubri civil hospital.

The official’s family at Silchar in Assam’s Barak Valley was informed. Meanwhile, the authorities were in talks with the Air Force to airlift his body home.

All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief and Dhubri MP Badruddin Ajmal tweeted: “Saddened to know about the death of circle officer Sanju Das whose dead body recovered today from a nearby site of unfortunate boat accident. He was missing after a boat carrying passengers capsized in the Brahmaputra River in Dhubri district of Assam on Thursday”.

Ajmal also sought “adequate compensation” for the deceased officer’s family and wrote, “My sincere condolences to the family of the deceased officer. I request @CMOfficeAssam to provide adequate compensation to the family.”