Bijni, Aug 21: Four minor girls drowned in a pond at Damugaon under Panbari police station in Assam’s Chirang district. The deceased have been identified as Mashuma Khatun, 8, Rakiba Khatun, 9, Sanjuma Khatun, 8, and Suhana Parbin, 10.

Of the four girls, two were reportedly from Tekaimari village, while the other two were from Damugaon. “It is a very sad incident.

Four girls drowned in the pond. They may have been playing after school and could have accidentally fallen into the water.

We are looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident,” Chirang district SSP Dhruba Bora said. “It is extremely distressing that two girls from Damugaon and two from Tekaimari drowned in the pond.

We want to urge the government to stop the indiscriminate digging of ponds. Some of these ponds are 20 to 30 feet deep, and children may not be aware of the dangers they pose,” a local resident said.

“We appeal to the government to provide financial assistance to the bereaved families who have lost their children in this tragic incident,” the resident added.