John9200Carter at 09:45, 30 October 2025

2025-10-30T09:45:05Z

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{{Short description|Drownings in Bihar during Hindu festivities}}
{{Infobox disaster
| date = {{start date|2024|09|26}}
| Location = [[Bihar]], [[India]]
| type = Drownings during ritual ceremonies
| cause = [[2024 India floods]], festivities occurring outside of state-designated [[ghats]]
| reported deaths = 46 (37 children, 7 women)
}}

The '''2024 Jivitputrika tragedy''' refers to the drowning of at least 46 people, most of whom were children, in rivers and bodies of water that had flooded with ongoing torrential rainfall on 26 September 2024. The deaths occurred across 15 districts in [[Bihar]] located in [[East India|eastern India]] during the festivities of [[Jitiya|Jivitputrika]].

== Background ==
{{Main article|Jitiya|2024 India floods}}
Jivitputrika is a three-day-long [[Ancient Hinduism|Ancient Hindu]] festival which is celebrated from the seventh to ninth lunar day of [[Paksha|Krishna-Paksha]] in [[Ashwin|Ashvin]] month primarily in the Indian states of [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Bihar]] and [[Jharkhand]].<ref>{{cite web |date=21 July 2022 |title=Jivitputrika Vrat 2022 – Jitiya 2022 Date In Bihar |url=https://indianastrology.co.in/8767-jitiya-2022-date-in-bihar/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=15 September 2022 |title=Jitiya Vrat 2022: बिहार-यूपी में कब है जितिया व्रत, जानें काशी और मिथिला पंचांग के अनुसार सही डेट व टाइम |url=https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/state/bihar/patna/jitiya-vrat-2022-when-is-jitiya-vrat-in-bihar-up-know-the-correct-date-and-time-according-to-kashi-and-mithila-panchang-rdy}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=17 August 2020 |title=Jitiya – A Festival Of Women |url=https://nepaltraveller.com/sidetrack/jitiya-a-festival-of-women-384#:~:text=Among%20the%20very%20many%20feasts,or%2010%20days%20before%20Ghatasthapana}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jivitputrika Vrat 2020: जीवित्पुत्रिका व्रती महिलाएं आज खोलेंगी व्रत, जानें पारण करने के लिए हर एक शुभ समय और विधि |date=11 September 2020 |url=https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/religion/jivitputrika-vrat-2020-jitiya-puja-vidhi-nahay-khay-date-and-timing-shubh-muhurt-jeevaputrika-vow-will-start-from-today-with-hi-khay-know-what-is-important-to-keep-in-mind-during-the-fast-rdy-2}}</ref> The festival involves a tradition of mothers [[fasting]] without water for well-being of their sons, after which they travel to bodies of water where they bathe, immerse the branches of sacred fig tree in a river or stream, and put a flower garland on the neck of their child who often accompanies them to the water.<ref name="Prabhat khabar2022">{{Cite web |date=16 September 2022 |title=My Mati: आसिन कर अठमी के जितिया गड़ाय रे |url=https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/state/jharkhand/ranchi/jharkhand-jitiya-festival-jivitputrika-vrat-ritual-unk |accessdate=9 October 2022 |publisher=Prabhat khabar |language=Hindi}}</ref>

Concurrently with Jivitputrika festivities in 2024, [[2024 India floods|significant monsoon rainfall]] impacted multiple regions of India, causing widespread flooding and the swelling of rivers and other bodies of water such as the [[Kopili River|Kopili]], [[Barak River|Barak]], and [[Kushiyara River|Kushiyara]]. Hundreds of thousands of civilians were displaced by flooding and hundreds more were killed as a result of flooding.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-06-22 |title=Assam flood situation improves marginally; toll rises to 39 |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/assam/assam-flood-situation-improves-marginally-toll-rises-to-39/article68321122.ece |access-date=2024-06-22 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X |agency=Press Trust of India}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2024-06-22 |title=Bangladesh: Floods and Landslides - Jun 2024 {{!}} ReliefWeb |url=https://reliefweb.int/disaster/fl-2024-000088-bgd |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=reliefweb.int |language=en}}</ref>

== Tragedy ==
The Bihar Disaster Management Authority reported on 26 September 2024 that at least 46 people had been killed after drowning or being swept away in swollen rivers and bodies of water while engaging in rituals. Of those killed, 37 were children and seven were women.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=26 September 2024 |title=Dozens of children drown during Hindu festival in India |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/india/dozens-children-drown-during-hindu-festival-india-2024-09-26/ |access-date=26 September 2024 |agency=Reuters}}</ref>

Victims were reported in the districts of [[Arwal district|Arwal]], [[Aurangabad district, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]], [[Buxar district|Buxar]], [[East Champaran district|East]] and [[West Champaran district|West Champaran]], [[Gopalganj district, India|Gopalganj]], [[Kaimur district|Kaimur]], [[Muzaffarpur district|Muzaffarpur]], [[Nalanda district|Nalanda]], [[Patna district|Patna]], [[Rohtas district|Rohtas]], [[Samastipur district|Samastipur]], [[Saran district|Saran]], [[Siwan district|Siwan]], and [[Vaishali district|Vaishali]]. Aurangabad district reported eight deaths, the highest total as of 26 September.<ref>{{Cite web |title=46 Drown, Including 37 Children, During 'Jivitputrika' Festival In Bihar Districts |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/37-children-among-46-drown-during-jivitputrika-festival-in-bihar-districts-6654206 |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=NDTV.com}}</ref> Seven drowned in Kaimur district, four of whom were teenagers. In Saran, [[Kalyanpur, Saran district|Kalyanpur village]] reported five deaths while [[Chhapra]] reported the drownings of five children. [[Motihari]] in East Champaran reported five drownings in the [[Sarasvati River|Somvati River]] by the Kalyanpur block. Five drowned in Patna, four of whom were women, and four girls were swept away and drowned in the [[Sone River]]. A women and her child drowned together in a pond in [[Vrindavan]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Bhelari |first=Amit |date=2024-09-26 |title=46, including 37 children, drown across Bihar during Jitiya festival |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bihar/46-including-37-children-drown-across-bihar-during-jitiya-festival/article68686653.ece |access-date=2024-09-26 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

== Responses ==
The [[Government of Bihar|Bihar State Government]] announced that 400,000 rupees (US$4,784) would be given to the families of victims as compensation.<ref name=":1" />

District Magistrate of Aurangabad Srikant Shastri stated that while Bihar state had prepared staff to manage and oversee state-designated [[ghat]]s of bodies of water where Jivitputrika festivities were assigned to, he stated that drownings occurred in non-designated bodies of water by local ghats. District Magistrate of Saran Aman Samir insisted that all celebrators go to designated ghats for festivities to prevent potential drownings.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2024-09-26 |title=37 children among 46 drown during 'Jivitputrika' festival across Bihar |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/bihar-jivitputrika-festival-people-drown-aurangabad-siwan-saran-chief-minister-nitish-kumar-2607082-2024-09-26 |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref> An anonymous Bihar Disaster Management Authority official said that many of the participants had ignored the dangerously elevated water levels, resulting in the tragedy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 September 2024 |title=46 People Drown During Hindu Festival In India: Govt Official |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/46-people-drown-during-hindu-festival-in-india-govt-official-c2a1f045 |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=Barron's |language=en-US}}</ref>

Many families of the deceased blamed disaster management organizations for not deploying crowd management staff by any of the locations where victims drowned.<ref name=":2" /> [[Rashtriya Janata Dal]] spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwary expressed disdain towards the state government for not arranging emergency staff and resources to all ghats where festivities were taking place instead of only deploying to state-designated locations.<ref name=":3" />

== References ==

{{reflist}}

{{Portal bar|India|Asia|Weather|Hinduism}}
{{Disasters in India in 2024}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jivitputrika tragedy, 2024}}
[[Category:2024 disasters in India]]
[[Category:Deaths by drowning in India]]
[[Category:2020s in Bihar]]
[[Category:September 2024 in India]]
[[Category:2024 in religion]]
[[Category:Floods in Bihar]]
[[Category:2024 floods in Asia]]
[[Category:21st-century Hinduism]]
[[Category:Accidental child deaths]]

2024 Jivitputrika tragedy - Revision history

John9200Carter at 09:45, 30 October 2025