4-year-old boy drowns in sewer water in Alipurduar, body recovered after 5-hour search

A four-year-old boy drowned in sewer water in the Hasimara area of Alipurduar district on Friday, with his body recovered nearly five hours after he went missing. The incident triggered protests in the area, with local residents blocking the Jaigaon–Alipurduar State Highway and staging demonstrations near the residence of the Satali Gram Panchayat Pradhan. The child's body was eventually recovered from a sewer in the Satali Tea Garden area, approximately three kilometres from where he was reported missing.

According to local sources, the child was a resident of the Varnabari Tea Garden. He had accompanied family members to the main road to see off a relative who had visited their home. While returning, he reportedly fell into accumulated water connected to a drainage channel and was swept away. Local residents initially launched rescue efforts before emergency responders were informed about the incident.

After receiving information, personnel from the National Disaster Response Force joined the search operation and conducted rescue efforts in the area. Following an extensive search, the child's body was recovered from the sewer system in Satali Tea Garden. The body was subsequently taken to Latabari Rural Hospital for further procedures.