From Our Correspondent
NONGPOH, July 11: In a tragic incident, on the 9th of July, a fishing outing turned fatal as a young man lost his life after drowning in the MeECL Dam in Nongmahir, on July 9. The victim, identified as Shiningstar Kharpati, son of Loreta Kharpati from Umpling village, drowned while attempting to retrieve a tent that had been swept away by the strong winds.
The incident came to light when a concerned citizen, Aiborlang Lyngdoh, reported the incident to authorities after receiving a distress call from a local number, which informed him about the drowning in the MeECL Dam area.
Promptly responding to the information, a search and rescue team from the Fire and Emergency Services in Shillong, accompanied by a police team from Kyrdemkulai Outpost, rushed to the scene.
Upon arriving at the location, it was discovered that Shiningstar Kharpati had gone fishing with his friends — Malkos Lyngdoh and Micheal Warjri, both residents of Umpling, East Khasi Hills. Due to the heavy rain and strong winds, the trio had set up a tent near the lake for shelter.
Tragically, while Malkos and Micheal were occupied with food preparations, the tent was carried away by the forceful gusts of wind and landed in the lake. In an attempt to recover the tent, Shiningstar bravely ventured into the water but was unable to overcome the adverse conditions and ended up drowning.
His friends made valiant efforts to save him by extending a bamboo stick for him to hold on to, but their attempts proved futile. With the assistance of the search and rescue team, the lifeless body of Shiningstar Kharpati was eventually recovered from the lake.
An inquest was conducted at the scene, and subsequently, the body was transferred to Civil Hospital Nongpoh for post-mortem examination. However, the grieving family of the deceased made a request for an exemption from autopsy. This plea was granted by Executive Magistrate of Ri-Bhoi Eric Kevin Dkhar.
Consequently, the mortal remains of Shiningstar Kharpati were handed over to his bereaved relatives.