Four Drown in Surajpur River, Including Bihar National Athlete

Four people, including three children, drowned in the Ren river in Chhattisgarh's Surajpur district, plunging two families into deep sorrow. The incident has also caused a major loss for the sports world in Katihar, Bihar.

The deceased include Gopal Krishna, 13, a national taekwondo player from Katihar, and his 14-year-old brother Krishna Gopal. Vivek Singh, a resident of Hajipur, and his son Abhijit Singh also died in the accident.

The tragedy has deeply affected Sagar Singh alias Sethi Singh, who lost both his sons. Gopal was a gold medallist at the national level and was widely seen as a rising star from the district.

Relatives said that Sagar Singh's family has members living in Surajpur. The two boys had gone there during the Dussehra holidays. Vivek Singh took his son Abhijit and Sagar Singh's sons to bathe in the Ren river. All four were swept into deep water and could not be saved.

Sagar Singh confirmed the deaths. Once the necessary formalities in Chhattisgarh were complete, his sons' bodies were taken to Banaras for the last rites. Vivek Singh and Abhijit Singh's bodies were transported to Hajipur.

Word of the accident spread quickly, and grief gripped families and relatives. In Katihar, the sports community is also reeling. Gopal had won gold at the national taekwondo championship in Indore and was expected to achieve much more. Krishna Gopal, a volleyball player, had recently represented his school in a competition.

The irony is painful. Sagar Singh is himself a national-level weightlifter, and his family had long been associated with sports and hard work. Now the loss of two sons has left an unbearable void. For sports lovers in Katihar, the loss of Gopal and Krishna is a tragedy that is difficult to overcome.