[ Pisi Zauing ]
MIAO, 11 Nov: A 2nd IRBn jawan, Shumbo Khimhun (27), who was posted at Diyun in Changlang district, drowned in the Noa Dehing river on Monday afternoon.
A resident of New Khimyung village in Namphai circle, Khimhun was on his way to Miao to collect his new ATM card. When he reached the Miao ferry ghat on his way to the town on the right bank, the boatmen were on a lunch break. Eyewitnesses stated that the boatmen on duty and other passengers present requested the young jawan to wait till they finished their lunch but he insisted on swimming to cross the river.
Paying no heed to the requests made by the boatmen and other passengers, the jawan undressed himself and plunged into the river and started swimming.
The boatmen, along with local Singpho youths from nearby villages tried their best to save the jawan from drowning but he disappeared in a whirlpool.
As news of the incident flashed throughout the area, people from all walks of life ran to the banks to search for the jawan. Finally, the body was recovered from Dharmapur-I block, 5 kms from the Miao ferry ghat.
The deceased’s father was also a policeman and he too drowned two decades ago in the Noa Dehing river. Later, the deceased’s mother was appointed as a policewoman in place of his father on compassionate grounds.
The drowning of Khimhun in a manner similar to his father’s drowning has become a topic of discussion.
At the time of filing of this report, the body of the deceased was yet to arrive for postmortem. After completion of postmortem, the body will be handed over to the family members.
