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Professor’s wife, daughter drown after they return to bridge for second selfie
RD Gupta, the professor posted at the government post-graduate college, Mandsaur was rescued but his wife Bindu Gupta and daughter Ashruti, a college student, couldn’t be saved, the police said
A professor of physics, his wife and their daughter were on Wednesday swept away in an overflowing nullah when the bridge they were standing on while taking a selfie caved in due to heavy rainfall in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh, 378 km west of Bhopal, said police.
RD Gupta, the professor posted at the government post-graduate college, Mandsaur was rescued but his wife Bindu Gupta and daughter Ashruti, a college student, couldn’t be saved, the police said. The district received very heavy rainfall on Wednesday leading to water-logging and flood-like situation in many areas.
“Professor Gupta, a resident of Teachers colony at Mandsaur town and his wife walked some distance from their house in the morning to see the nullah that had filled up with rain water. They took a selfie standing on a small bridge that connects their colony to Gandhi Nagar area and returned home and shared the picture with their daughter Ashruti. On their daughter’s insistence they went back to the small bridge along with the daughter. They were again taking a selfie when the bridge caved in and Ashruti was swept away. To save their daughter both husband and wife too jumped into the overflowing nullah,” superintendent of police Mandsaur district, Hitesh Chaudhary said.
Local residents rescued RD Gupta immediately. His wife was also rescued but she was declared brought dead at a nearby hospital. The body of Ashruti was fished out in the afternoon by State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), said the SP.
RD Gupta was admitted in a private hospital where his condition is stated to be stable.
In another incident in the same district, a 40-year-old unidentified man was swept away in Badwan village of the district when he was trying to cross an overflowing bridge. Police are trying to identify him.
“About a dozen villages have been submerged in the flood water. The district administration is providing help to affected people” said Yashpal Singh Sisodia, BJP MLA from Mandsaur.
Heavy rainfall for the past 24 hours has thrown public life out of gear in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh. According to meteorological department, 5 inches rainfall was recorded in the area during the period and orange alert has been issued for the next 24 hours.
