Four members of a family tragically drowned in Rajkot’s Aji Dam after a visit to a riverside temple took a fatal turn during rescue attempts. The victims were identified as rickshaw driver Bharat Jadav (42), his sons Dhaval (18) and Rohit (26), and his wife’s nephew Dhruv Makwana. By late evening, three bodies had been recovered, with one person still missing.
The incident unfolded between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. when Bharat Jadav had taken his family to the edge of Aji Dam near the Mogal Mata temple. The family had gone to wash their vehicle and offer prayers at the temple located on the dam’s banks. Tragedy struck when Rohit entered the water, lost his balance, and began struggling in the deep water.
Subsequently, Dhaval and Dhruv jumped in to rescue Rohit but found themselves in distress as well. Bharat Jadav then entered the water to save them, leading to all four being swept into deeper waters. Authorities were alerted, and a rescue operation was initiated with three bodies recovered and handed over to emergency services.
Rajkot Deputy Commissioner of Police Hetal Patel mentioned that the family had come for temple darshan when the tragedy occurred. She explained that one individual slipped into deep water, prompting the others to enter one after another in a bid to save him, resulting in the unfortunate drowning of all four. Search operations were ongoing for the missing person while an Accidental Death report was to be filed at the Aji Dam police station.
