Ranjit Kumar and (below) Smriti Kumari at Nalanda Medical College and Hospital on Friday. Pictures by Sachin

Patna, June 10: Ranjit Kumar (8) and Smriti Kumari (14), both residents of Diwan Mohalla under Khajekala police station tried to end their lives by jumping into the Ganga off Mahatma Gandhi Setu around 8am today.

Fortunately, fishermen, who were nearby, saved them from drowning.

Sources said Ranjit and Simran were attracted to each other and had started spending a lot of time together for the past one month. However, their parents did not like the relation between the duo and scolded and thrashed them.

The girl, however, in her statement said both of them slipped and fell off the bridge.

Ranjit, son of a cloth seller, Kallu Prasad Gupta, lived with his family as tenants in a room in Smriti’s house.

“The girl’s father Gopal Prasad died sometime back. The girl used to live with her mother and other family members. As they lived in the same house, they might have been attracted to each other. Some of their neighbours saw both them moving around and informed their parents,” a police officer said.

When the parents got to know about it, they were furious. Both Ranjit and Smriti were scolded and beaten up last evening. Sources said the duo got a bit emotional and decided to end their lives by jumping off the bridge. They quietly slipped out of the house this morning, walked to the bridge and jumped off.

“They were lucky that the three fishermen were not far off. Both of them were rescued immediately and taken to Nalanda Medical College and Hospital for treatment. They got emotional after the scolding and took the step,” a police officer said.

There have been several suicide attempts earlier from the 5.575-km-long Mahatma Gandhi Setu.

In May this year, there were as many as three suicide attempts from the bridge.

The last attempt was on May 14 when 15-year-old Ajit, the son of an autorickshaw driver Raju Gope and a resident of the Belwarganj area under the Alamganj police station, jumped off the bridge.

The boy was, however, saved by some fishermen.

On March 11, 18-year-old Puja, a student of Class IX of a city-based school, jumped off the bridge.

She, too, was saved. The girl said she had decided to end her life because of constant fights at home.

On March 2, Naushad, another teenager and a resident of the Alamganj area, jumped off from the bridge after he and his friends entered into a bet.

The boy’s body has not yet been found. Four of his friends have been arrested.

On November 24 last year, a couple had tried to commit suicide by jumping off the Gandhi Setu after their parents opposed their relationship.

While the girl was somehow saved, the boy’s body has not been found.