A young man from Bihar, who had come to Rishikesh with friends, was swept away in the Ganges; a search operation by the SDRF and police team is currently underway.

A young man originally from Bihar went missing in the swift currents of the Ganges while bathing with friends at a ghat near Bajrang Setu, under the jurisdiction of the Laxmanjhula police station in Rishikesh. Panic ensued among his companions when they saw him being swept away by the river's flow, and they immediately alerted the Laxmanjhula police. Upon receiving the information, the SDRF Dhalwala rescue team launched a search operation in the river, but the young man has not yet been found. Inspector Kavindra Sajwan of SDRF Dhalwala stated that at approximately 10:00 AM on Thursday, the police station received a report that a young man had gone missing after being caught in the strong current while bathing at the ghat near Bajrang Setu. He identified the missing youth as 22-year-old Shivanshu Raj, son of Anup Pandey, a resident of West Champaran (Bettiah) district, Bihar, who had come to the Laxmanjhula area to visit with three friends.

The group had gone down to the ghat near Bajrang Setu to bathe in the Ganges. While bathing, Shivanshu lost his balance and was swept away by the swift current. He was employed by a private company and resided at Chawla House, Nehru Place, New Delhi. The SDRF team has conducted an intensive search using deep-diving equipment; additionally, a search is underway at all potential locations along the river, stretching from the incident site to the Pashulok Barrage. So far, there is no trace of the young man. His family has been informed of the incident. Teams from the Laxmanjhula police, local water police, and the SDRF are jointly engaged in the search operation and necessary follow-up actions at the site.