A Family's Heartbreaking End: Four Drown in Nuh Field Pond Tragedy

A pall of profound grief has descended upon Salaheri village in Nuh, Haryana, following a devastating incident that claimed the lives of four members of a single family, including two young girls. The tragedy unfolded on a Sunday afternoon when a seemingly routine chore turned into an unthinkable horror, as Mohammad Irshad (32), his wife Mehtab (30), and their daughters, Alshifa (8) and Arsi (6), drowned in a local field pond, locally known as a ‘johed’.

The sequence of events, as pieced together by local authorities and heartbroken villagers, paints a grim picture of desperate attempts to save loved ones.

Mehtab had taken her two daughters to the deep pond, which reportedly measures 10-12 feet, to wash clothes. It was there that the innocent act of a young girl playing by the water's edge escalated into catastrophe. Alshifa, the elder daughter, is believed to have accidentally slipped into the treacherous waters.

Her younger sister, Arsi, in a natural instinct of sibling love and panic, immediately tried to pull her out but also fell victim to the pond's unseen depths.

Upon witnessing her children struggling in the water, Mehtab, with a mother's desperate courage, plunged into the pond in a valiant effort to rescue them.

Her cries for help pierced the calm afternoon air, reaching her husband, Mohammad Irshad, who was nearby. Without a moment's hesitation, Irshad rushed to the scene and, seeing his entire family in peril, bravely jumped into the pond himself. In a cruel twist of fate, the strong currents or perhaps the sheer struggle to save others overwhelmed all four, leading to their tragic drowning.

The horrific discovery was made later in the day by a relative who became concerned when the family did not return home.

Their search led them to the pond, where they found the family’s clothes abandoned near the water’s edge. A deeper look into the murky waters revealed the lifeless bodies of Irshad, Mehtab, Alshifa, and Arsi. The devastating sight sent shockwaves through the quiet village, turning a peaceful Sunday into a day of indelible sorrow.

Local police, alerted to the incident, promptly arrived at the scene.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Naresh Kumar of the Punhana police station confirmed the retrieval of all four bodies. "After receiving information, a police team reached the spot and with the help of locals, all four bodies were fished out," he stated. The bodies were subsequently sent for post-mortem examination at the Mandikhera Nalhar medical college, and inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure have been initiated to formally ascertain the circumstances surrounding this heart-wrenching loss.

This incident casts a somber spotlight on the dangers posed by open field ponds, especially during the monsoon season when water levels are high and edges can be slippery and unpredictable.

Village elders and local authorities have often warned about the risks, as similar tragedies involving drownings in these "joheds" have occurred in the region previously. The Salaheri community now grapples with an immense void, mourning the untimely departure of an entire family, a stark reminder of life's fragility and the suddenness with which joy can turn to profound sorrow.