60 rescued in 6 days as kanwariyas test Ganga's depth

Time of India

16-07-2025

Dehradun: Every monsoon, as the Ganga roars through Haridwar, the river draws more than just reverence during Shravan. Kanwariyas throng its banks to collect holy water, but some, swept up in the moment, or perhaps by sheer impulse, end up diving straight into its churning depths.
Call it faith, bravado, or sheer daredevilry, but once again this year, scores of pilgrims have had to be fished out by the Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), whose annual pre-kanwar warning, "Don't jump in if you can't swim", rings out like a ritual chant. But few heed the message. Despite repeated announcements, hazard signs, and police interventions, many still leap in, armed with zero swimming skills, no life jackets, and a misplaced sense of invincibility.
In just six days since the yatra began, around 60 kanwariyas have been rescued, one has drowned, and another remains missing. Over the past three years, SDRF has pulled 430 pilgrims from the brink. "It's like clockwork," said one weary SDRF jawan, ankle-deep in the river currents with a rescue rope and the expression of a man who's seen it all before. "We're not rescuing swimmers. We're rescuing floaters with supreme confidence and zero training.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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Gokul, a kanwariya from Haryana, dripping and dazed after being hauled from the river near Har Ki Pauri on Tuesday, declared, "Ganga maa bulati hai" (Mother Ganga calls me). An onlooker, however, clarified that it was actually his friend who dared him to jump for a video.
Calling the yatra one of the most challenging operations of the year, SDRF commandant Arpan Yadhuvanshi said about 60 trained personnel have been posted along both riverbanks, as pilgrims are known to leap from anywhere, at any time: day or night.
Most rescues happen near Kangra Ghat, Premnagar Ashram, and Har Ki Pauri, zones of "chronic aquatic overenthusiasm," as authorities now wryly put it.
SDRF has staged mock drills, stationed speedboats, rafts, and throw bags at key points, and pleaded with devotees to avoid turning devotion into disaster.
Still, the same scenes replay every year. Local priest Ujjwal Pandit offered perhaps the most fitting line: "Faith can move mountains. But sometimes, it just jumps into rivers."