Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Woman and Her Four Children Drown in Bihar Village Pond
A mom named Sushila Devi and her four little kids went to the fields to cut grass and collect snails, like they did most days.
They were near a big pond in their village in Bihar, a state in India.
When the dad came home that evening, his family was missing, so he started searching for them.
Police and villagers helped, and they found the five bodies in the village pond.
Nobody is sure yet exactly how it happened.
Some officials think one child slipped into a muddy hole filled with rainwater, and the hole suddenly gave way and dropped him into the pond.
They believe the others then jumped in to save him and also drowned.
But some people in the village think the mom may have ended her own life and her children's lives after a family fight.
The police say they need to investigate and check the doctors' reports before they can say what truly happened.
Everyone is sad, and the case is still being looked into.
A woman and her four children drowned in a village pond in Bihar's East Champaran district.
The victims were identified as Sushila Devi (30) and her children Amrita Kumari (11), Pammi Kumari (6), Avinash Kumar (8), and Ravi Kumar (4).
The family had gone to nearby fields to cut grass and collect snails on Thursday; the husband found them missing when he returned home in the evening.
The bodies were recovered from a 'pokhar' (village pond) with the help of police and villagers.
Officials suspect a child slipped into a rainwater-filled pit that caved in and others drowned trying to save him, but locals allege the woman died by suicide with her children after a family dispute.
- Who
- Sushila Devi (30) and her four children: Amrita Kumari (11), Pammi Kumari (6), Avinash Kumar (8), and Ravi Kumar (4).
- What
- They drowned in a village pond ('pokhar') while out cutting grass and collecting snails; the bodies were recovered after a search by police and villagers.
- When
- The incident happened on Thursday; officials reported it on Friday, August 7.
- Where
- Bhabhnauli village in the Govindganj police station area of East Champaran district, Bihar.
- Why
- Officials suspect a child slipped into a rainwater-filled pit that caved in, and the others drowned trying to save him; locals allege suicide following a family dispute. The exact cause awaits investigation and post-mortem reports.
Officials' account
Locals' allegation
Cause of the deaths
Officials' account
Officials suspect an accident: one child slipped into a rainwater-filled pit adjacent to the pond, it caved in, and the others drowned trying to save the child. They say the exact cause can be ascertained only after proper investigation and post-mortem.
Locals' allegation
Locals allege that the woman died by suicide along with her children due to a recent family dispute.
- Location
- Bhabhnauli village, Govindganj, East Champaran, Bihar
- Victims
- Sushila Devi (30), Amrita Kumari (11), Pammi Kumari (6), Avinash Kumar (8), Ravi Kumar (4)
- Incident
- Drowning in a village pond on Thursday; bodies recovered on Friday
- Official hypothesis
- Child slipped into a rainwater-filled pit that caved in; others drowned attempting to save him
- Local allegation
- Suicide by the woman along with her children after a recent family dispute
- Investigating officials
- Areraj Block Development Officer Aditya Dixit and Govindganj SHO Sachchidanand Pandey
- Status
- Investigation ongoing from all angles; action to follow post-mortem reports
- News agency
- PTI