Sonipat: In a tragic turn of events, a 60-year-old businessman from Assandh town lost his life while attempting to save his wife after she slipped into a canal during a religious ritual. His body was recovered from a canal in Sonipat district three days after the incident, the police said on Wednesday.The deceased, identified as Murari Lal Goyal, was a well-known rice mill owner and trader in Karnal district’s Assandh area. He also owned an arhtiya shop and a factory, while his son assisted in managing the family business. According to family members and police officials, Murari Lal and his wife, Kamlesh Goyal, 56, left home on Monday morning on a scooter to perform a religious offering near the Siwah canal bridge in Panipat. Kamlesh was reportedly immersing pooja material and coconuts into the canal when she suddenly lost balance and fell into the water. Seeing his wife struggling in the strong current, Murari Lal immediately jumped into the canal in an attempt to rescue her. However, both were swept away by the fast-flowing water before bystanders could intervene.Passersby alerted the police, following which teams from Israna police station and local divers rushed to the spot. A large-scale search operation was launched in the canal. Within hours, Kamlesh’s body was recovered nearly 20 kilometres away near Khubru Jhal in Sonipat district, while Murari Lal remained missing.Police, along with divers, continued the search operation for the next two days. On Wednesday, Murari Lal’s body was finally recovered from the canal near Moi village in Sonipat. The body was shifted to Panipat Civil Hospital, where post-mortem formalities were carried out before it was kept in the mortuary.Initially, investigators suspected the possibility of suicide. However, after questioning relatives and examining the circumstances, police concluded that it was an accidental drowning. “During the investigation, it became clear that the woman lost her balance while immersing religious offerings into the canal, following which both drowned in the water,” said Israna SHO Hariram. MSID:: 131228032 413 |
