Two men in their mid-20s who went to Nather Bagan Ghat in the North Port area to immerse an idol drowned in the river on Sunday.
Police said the bodies were recovered after a search.
The deputy commissioner (port division) of Kolkata Police, Harikrishna Pai, said four friends from Dum Dum went to the ghat around 3am on Sunday to immerse an idol when one of them slipped into the water.
“Soumyajit Banerjee, 25, slipped into the river while they (the four youths) were sitting beside the ghat. Bishal Biswas, 26, jumped into the river to save his friend. Unfortunately, both drowned,” Pai said.
Soumyajit and Bishal were from Purulia district and were working in a private company in Kolkata.
The other two friends alerted the police and a search was launched by the disaster management group and the river traffic police.
After the search, Soumyajit and Bishal were taken to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared them dead.
“An unnatural death case has been registered at North Port police station. The families of the two have been informed about the death,” said an officer.
Several incidents of youths drowning in the Hooghly have been reported in the city. The victims either lost balance and slipped into the water or drowned while taking bath in the river.