Body of Missing Badarpur Youth Found Floating in Gumrah After Four Days

The decomposed body of Souvik Sarkar, a 24-year-old youth from Badarpur who had gone missing in the Sindura River four days ago, was recovered this morning from the river near Khelma in the Gumrah area of Cachar district. The incident has cast a pall of gloom over the region.

Souvik had gone missing on Sunday, July 20, while trying to save his friend Bishal Ghosh from drowning during a picnic. A group of seven friends had travelled from Badarpur to the scenic Sindura picnic spot in Kalain. While bathing in the river, Bishal was swept away by the current. In a desperate attempt to save him, Souvik jumped in but was himself pulled under by the strong river flow.

The other friends managed to pull Bishal out, but by then he had already succumbed. Despite repeated attempts, they could not trace Souvik. Local police were informed and an SDRF team rushed to the spot from Silchar. However, due to darkness and strong currents, search operations had to be called off for the day. Over the next few days, the SDRF continued their search without success.

Finally, around 7 AM today, July 23, Souvik’s decomposed body was spotted floating in the river at Khelma, Gumrah — about 4 km downstream from the spot where he went missing. A local school auto driver, who first saw the body, said, “After I dropped the students at school in the morning, I was returning home and I saw a floating dead body. That’s when I showed it to a few people who then gathered there and called the local thana. Police came and recovered the body.”

The body, which had visibly decomposed after four days in water, was recovered by Cachar Police. It was later sent to Silchar Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Souvik Sarkar was a resident of Badarpur. His tragic death, following closely on the heels of his friend Bishal’s drowning, has left the valley shocked and grieving.