Mother-Child Duo Found Dead Near Ganirgram, Four Days After Reported Annapurnaghat Jump

The bodies of a woman and her four-year-old child were recovered from the Barak River near Ganirgram in Cachar district on Tuesday (August 18), four days after they were feared to have jumped from the Annapurnaghat bridge in Silchar.

The woman has been identified as Diya Akura, a resident of the Chotodudhpatil area. Her child’s identity has also been confirmed. The child’s body was found tied to the woman, according to local residents and police.

The bodies were spotted by local people near Ganirgram in the Katigorah area on Tuesday. Police were informed and reached the spot before recovering the bodies. They were later sent to Silchar Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem examination.

According to a local resident familiar with the family, Diya Akura was the president of her Self-Help Group (SHG). On Friday, August 14, she had gone to a bank with other members of the group for SHG-related work.

After the work was completed, she reportedly told the other members that she had some other work to attend to. She then left separately and went towards the Annapurnaghat bridge. The incident is believed to have taken place at around 4.30 pm on Friday.

The local resident said Diya was from the Chotodudhpatil area and that she was later reported to have jumped into the Barak River with her four-year-old child.

Following the incident, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) launched a search operation in the river. However, the woman and child could not be located at the time.

The case had initially remained unconfirmed. On Friday, a woman’s pair of slippers, a child’s pair of slippers and a side bag were found on the Annapurnaghat bridge. Police reached the spot and began an investigation, while SDRF personnel searched the river.

A local resident had then told reporters that he had heard that a woman had jumped from the bridge with a child. He identified the woman as his sister-in-law and said the child was believed to be four-year-old Akash. However, he had not witnessed the incident himself.

Diya Akura’s identity was subsequently established from identification documents reportedly found inside the bag recovered from the bridge. The documents contained her photograph and name, with the address mentioned as Chotodudhpatil Grant in the Malugram area.

At that stage, police had not confirmed that the woman and child had entered the river, and all possibilities were being investigated.

The recovery of the bodies near Ganirgram on Tuesday has now provided fresh evidence in the case. Police are continuing their investigation, while the exact circumstances and reason behind the incident have not been officially established.

The incident has left the area in shock, with the recovery of the mother and child’s bodies bringing a tragic development to the four-day search operation.