Narrow escape for Ganguly’s brother, sister-in-law after boat capsizes in Puri sea, probe ordered
Puri, May 26 (PTI): Former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly’s elder brother Snehasish Ganguly and wife Arpita had a narrow escape while enjoying a speedboat ride in Puri sea, prompting the district administration to order an inquiry.
Though the incident occurred on May 24 evening, it came to light on Monday.
Puri district collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said, "I have ordered an inquiry to look into the circumstances leading to the mishap. If lapses are found with the operator in terms of safety protocols, action will be taken."
Official sources said Sky Drive Adventure and Water Sports, a private operator, was granted permission by the Odisha Coastal Zone Management Authority to conduct water sports activities.
Puri SP Vinit Agarwal told PTI, "Though the mishap occurred on Saturday afternoon, family members did not lodge any formal complaint at the nearby police station. After being informed, we contacted the family, and legal action will be taken if there are any lapses on the operator's part. The local Baliapanda police station has been asked to verify whether the incident occurred due to natural reasons or human error."
Meanwhile, a video footage aired by local television channels showed the boat being hit by a massive wave, losing balance and capsizing in the turbulent waters.
"We were saved by the grace of God. I am still in trauma. This should not happen, and water sports in the sea must be properly regulated. I will write to Puri SP and Odisha Chief Minister after returning to Kolkata," Arpita said in a video available with PTI.
Recounting the ordeal, she said the boat was struck by a wave almost ten-storey high, which led to the vessel flipping over, throwing all passengers — including her and Snehasish — into the sea.
"Thankfully, prompt action of lifeguards saved our lives," she added.
Local police said lifeguards deployed on the beach rushed to the spot and rescued the tourists on board. They used rubber floats to ensure the tourists’ safety.
A visibly shaken Arpita blamed the mishap on the "greed" of the adventure sports operators.
She alleged that the boat was unstable, with only four passengers aboard a vessel designed for 10, making it unbalanced and ill-equipped to withstand the heavy tide.
"Due to less weight, the boat lost balance and could not encounter the huge wave. The sea was already very rough," she said, adding that adventure activities need to be stopped because of strong currents in Puri sea.
Arpita said, "The operators assured us it was safe. But shortly after venturing out, a huge wave hit the boat and it capsized."
Demanding that the government should tighten regulations on water sports, Arpita said the authorities should consider banning such activities here.
Locals claimed that the speedboat was operated by untrained staff working under a private adventure company.
"The crew lacked proper skills to handle high tides and the company ignored essential safety protocols mandated for such activities," an eyewitness said.
It was further alleged that the company was conducting water sports without requisite permission from the Puri district administration.
Sources said the private operator had obtained a ‘No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Wildlife Division, Puri, District Tourism Officer, Puri, and Puri Police. It was also granted permission to undertake sea sports activities from Odisha Coastal Zone Management Authority, sources claimed.
VIDEO | Puri, Odisha: Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President and brother of former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly, Snehasish Ganguly, and his wife Arpita Ganguly were safely rescued after they encountered a horror as their speedboat capsized off Puri coast.… pic.twitter.com/rWCOB4bgYm
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 26, 2025
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
