Raiganj, June 9: A Class XI student drowned in the Kulik river here yesterday after allegedly floundering for over 10 minutes in the water while the district civil defence office expressed helplessness in mounting a rescue.

Bengal minister of state for civil defence Srikumar Mukherjee, who hails from the district, said there were no divers even with the state government. North Dinajpur police chief Shankar Singha said he would complain to Mukherjee against the alleged non-cooperation of his officials.

Police control room officer Paritosh Singha today said he had received a call from Swapan Bose who told him that his nephew Nirban Majumdar was drowning in the river. “I called up the civil defence office for help. Nitish Roy, who answered the phone, said they could do nothing and hung up. I rang him once again and this time the person told me gruffly that he had no infrastructure to save drowning persons.”

Bose has blamed the civil defence for Nirban’s death.