Chandrapur: A tragic incident occurred on February 26 when three sisters from the Mandal family drowned in the Wainganga River near Babupeṭh, along the Chandrapur-Gadchiroli National Highway. The family had gone to the river for a holy bath on the occasion of Mahashivratri.
At around 1:30 PM, Pratima Prakash Mandal (23), Kavita Prakash Mandal (22), and Lipika Prakash Mandal (18) entered the river to bathe but misjudged the depth and were swept away.
Their younger brother and Poonam Pranav Mandal (30) were also in the water at the time. The boy started drowning and cried for help, prompting his uncle to rescue him. Poonam, who managed to cling to a rock, was later rescued by a search team.
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Wednesday 26Feb. 2025
Upon receiving the information, Sawali police officers Pradeep Pullarwar, Mohan Dasarwar, Dheeraj Pidurkar, Rahul Kumareti, and Keval Ture reached the spot and launched a rescue operation with the help of boats. By the time this report was written, Kavita Mandal’s body had been recovered, while search efforts for the other two sisters were still ongoing.
The tragedy has left the Mandal family devastated. The deceased girls were the daughters of Prakash Mandal and Kalpana Prakash Mandal. Pranav Mandal is a professor at Sardar Patel College, Chandrapur, while his wife Poonam runs coaching classes, where Pratima assisted her. Kavita and Lipika were still pursuing their education.
This sudden loss has cast a shadow of grief over the entire Mandal family.
