Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Wednesday, 24 June 2026 expressed deep condolences over the drowning of five teenage girls at Shyampur Ganga Ghat in the Vasudevpur police station area of Munger district, and directed the state's Disaster Management Department to disburse an ex-gratia grant of Rs 4 lakh each to the dependents of the deceased.

Context

The Chief Minister described the incident as 'atyant dukkhad evam hridayvidarak' (extremely tragic and heartbreaking) in a post on X. He wrote: 'The drowning of five teenage girls during a Ganga bath at Shyampur Ganga Ghat in the Vasudevpur police station area of Munger district is extremely tragic. My deepest condolences go out to the bereaved families. May God grant peace to the souls of the departed daughters and give their families the strength to bear this unbearable grief.'

The incident occurred at a riverside bathing site on the Ganga in Munger, one of Bihar's prominent districts along the river. Five adolescent girls drowned while bathing at the ghat, triggering an immediate response from the state government.

Policy Backdrop

Bihar maintains a standing policy of providing ex-gratia assistance through its Disaster Management Department for accidental deaths, including drownings, consistent with the framework established under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The announcement of Rs 4 lakh per victim to the dependents follows this established protocol.

Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary stated that the Bihar Disaster Management Department has been directed to release the compensation without delay. He affirmed that 'in this hour of grief, the Bihar government stands with the bereaved families with full sympathy and commitment.'

Stakeholders and Impact

The five families who lost their daughters are the immediate beneficiaries of the announced relief. Riverine and ghat-dependent communities across Munger district — and more broadly along Bihar's Ganga corridor — remain vulnerable to such incidents, particularly during bathing seasons and the monsoon period.

Drowning deaths at Ganga ghats are a recurring concern in Bihar, with state governments responding through compensation announcements and periodic reviews of ghat safety infrastructure. The Chief Minister's public statement forms part of the standard protocol for official communication following local tragedies of this nature.

What's Next

The immediate priority is the timely disbursement of the Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia to each of the five affected families through the Bihar Disaster Management Department. Any follow-up government orders on ghat safety measures, warning signage, or surveillance at vulnerable bathing sites in Munger and other districts will be closely watched.

Recurring drowning incidents at Bihar's Ganga ghats have long prompted calls for permanent safety infrastructure. Whether this tragedy accelerates a structured review of ghat safety protocols across the state remains to be seen.