A seven-year-old girl was swept away by floodwaters while attempting to collect relief supplies with her mother in a Murshidabad village on Monday.

Rista Bagdi, a Class 1 student of Sonabharoi Primary School, Burwan block, drowned after slipping into a hidden gorge in the inundated area.

The flood-like situation arose following a breach in an earthen dyke of Kue river, leaving hundreds of villagers stranded. Rista was pulled away from her mother’s grasp as they waded through the waterlogged zone. After a frantic search for over an hour, villagers recovered the girl’s body.

The incident has sparked anger among residents, who gheraoed the Burwan BDO, accusing the administration of negligence for not providing boats to navigate the
flooded area.

Sources revealed incessant rain over three days caused significant damage to an earthen dam along Kue River, leading to severe inundation in nearby villages, including Sonabharoi, Bhorua and Sundarpur and others.

In an effort to assist the affected population, local Trinamool Congress leaders had organised a relief camp on Badsahi Road. Hearing about the relief efforts, many villagers, including Rista and her mother, braved the dangerous waterlogged streets to reach the camp. It was during this journey that the child was swept away.

Hearing the mother’s cries for help, villagers began searching for Rista. Found and rushed to Burwan Block Hospital, she was pronounced dead.

Her father, Babu Bagdi, expressed his anger. “There was waist-deep water on the village road for three days. If I had been home, I would never have let my daughter go out. The villagers had been asking for a boat for two days. Had the administration acted sooner, my daughter would still be alive,” he said.

Burwan BDO Gobinda Das said: “A minor girl was tragically drowned. No official government relief was being distributed at the time.... Despite this, people rushed there. I personally visited the site after hearing the news. Boats are now being arranged, and government relief has been dispatched.”

Local Trinamool leader Mahe Alam added: “People here have been trapped by floodwaters. We organized a relief camp to provide them with food and supplies. While it was not safe for the child to venture out in such conditions, the incident is heartbreaking. We stand with the grieving family.”