Man knocked into the Yamuna by stray cattle drowns in north Delhi

A 42-year-old man drowned in the Yamuna after being knocked in by stray cattle while immersing puja items in Delhi; police are investigating.

A 42-year-old man drowned in the Yamuna after he was knocked into the river by stray cattle in Timarpur, north Delhi on Sunday morning, police said. The victim had gone to immerse puja items in the river and was squatting on the river bank when a bovine walked up to him from behind and knocked him into the river. Police have initiated inquest proceedings in the matter.

(Representational image)

The victim was identified as Devi Charan, a resident of Gautampuri in Timarpur, who used to work at an apparel shop in Chandni Chowk. Police said that their control room received a call about the incident at 9.30am.

“We arrived on the scene and called divers. The man’s body was recovered by 11am,” said a police officer.

Charan’s wife Poonam Devi, 35, said he had gone to the Yamuna bank at 9am with a neighbour. “We had accumulated a lot of puja items over time so my husband decided to immerse them in the river. A neighbour was going so he went along with him,” Devi said.

The victim’s neighbourtold the family that Charan was squatting near the water when the cattle walked towards him. “The neighbour shouted at my husband that the cattle was behind him but by the time he could get up, the cattle had knocked him and he fell into the water,” Devi said.

According to the neighbour, Charan shouted for help and the neighbour raised the alarm, but none of the locals on the scene knew how to swim and were unable to rescue the victim, police said.

“Unable to get any help on the scene, our neighbour came running back home and told a relative that my husband had drowned. By the time we reached, police had already come and begun the search for my husband’s body,” Devisaid.

Charan is survived by his wife, two daughters aged 13 and nine, and a three-year-old son.

“I am left all by myself now. How will we manage without him? I don’t even know how to pay electricity bills. I don’t even work. No one will take care of us now. My daughters will have to drop out of school,” she said.