Daijiworld Media Network - Shimoga (SP)
Shimoga, Sep 5: In an incident that occured at Hirechowti of Anavatti near Sorab in the district recently, four girls belonging to the same family drowned in a tank and died.
The family members were busy with the celebrations connected with Gowri festival, which is observed a day prior to Vinayaka chaturti, when tragedy struck. The girls were playing in a garden near their house. Rakshita(16), Arpita(13) and Amita(6), daughters of Rajshekhar, a teacher by profession, and Archana(13) daughter of Eshwarappa died by drowning in the tank. Eshwarappa is the brother of Rajshekhar.
Rakshita was a SSLC student of Anavatti junior college, while Arpita studied in the seventh standard. Archana studied in the seventh standard and Amita was admitted to the first standard this year.
The children, after having sumptuous lunch on the festival day, went to play together. The Bastikatte tank in which they drowned, had been desilted and deepened this year. It is suspected, that one of the children had slipped into the tank and the others lost their lives, trying to rescue the others.
Rajshekhar, working in Lakkavalli as teacher, had come to his native place Hirechowti a few days back, due to ill health. His wife Shailaja came alongwith her three daughters to celebrate the festival together, on Monday September 1.
The shocking deaths have swamped the village in grief.