A Border Security Force constable went missing in the Padma river in Murshidabad’s Raghunathganj on Friday morning when the boat he was in capsized.The boatman and another BSF constable managed to swim ashore, but BSF constable Amit Kumar, 45, remained missing.

Sources said it was common practice for personnel attached to the 115 Battalion border outpost to hire boats to travel owing to erosion-induced changes on the banks.“A strong wave likely capsized their boat,” said a source.

Kumar, who is from Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarpur and a BSF serviceman since 2005, served in the 115 Battalion.“BSF and disaster management officials are carrying out a joint search operation at Giria,” said a BSF source.

In a similar incident at Farakka, a Class III student went missing in the Padma at Sikdarpur village on Friday. Rocky Sheikh, 9, who was visiting a relative, had reportedly gone to bathe in the river around 1pm.“Police and BSF are working at joint rescue operations in both incidents that occurred on Friday,” said Jangipur police superintendent Bholanath Pandey.