A final-year student of Medical College Kolkata drowned in the Hooghly early on Saturday, police said.
Personnel from Kolkata Police’s Disaster Management Group (DMG) recovered the body of Soham Basak, 23, from the river around 4.50am, the police said.
“It appears that the student drowned while bathing near Golabari Ghat, close to Kashimitra Burning Ghat,” a senior officer of North Port police station said.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Basak, a resident of Jangipara in Hooghly
district, had left the main boys’ hostel with a friend around 3am.
The two reportedly went to Babughat, spent some time there and then decided to take a dip in the river.
“Basak was swept away by the strong current during high tide. His friend tried to rescue him but was unable to do so because of the conditions,” a senior police officer said.
“He managed to get out of the water and alerted personnel at a nearby police outpost. The officers informed the police control room at Lalbazar, following which a DMG team was deployed.”
The rescue team battled darkness and strong tidal currents for nearly 90 minutes before recovering him from the river.
Basak was taken to Medical College Kolkata, where doctors declared him dead.
“We are awaiting the post-mortem report. A case of unnatural death has been registered,” the police officer said.