Community protest, SDRF search and FIR follow disappearance of 16-year-old in Gorakhpur
A tense scene unfolded in parts of Gorakhpur on Wednesday after 16-year-old Class 10 student Prince Kumar went missing following an afternoon visit to the Rapti river, officials and local reports said. The boy's family alleged that two friends who accompanied him had murdered him and disposed of the body in the river; the two youths have been named in an FIR, police said.
According to local police records and family members, Prince, son of Satyapal Nishad of Semra Devi Prasad Chhotka Pathra in the Ramgarhtal area, studies at MG Inter College. He returned home from school on Tuesday and later that afternoon left with two friends who arrived on a scooter from Chakra Doyam in the Rajghat area.
- Alleged incident time: afternoon on Tuesday; family reported Prince missing the same day.
- Local response: family members and residents staged a road blockade near Transport Nagar for approximately six hours.
- Search operations: city police, SDRF divers and other teams conducted searches in the Rapti river; clothing and a mobile phone were later recovered from Amrutani.
Police said the two friends told investigators that Prince had drowned while bathing in a deep stretch of the river and that they returned home with his clothes and mobile phone. The family, however, pointed to prior disputes between Prince and the two youths and expressed suspicion of foul play. Local police said they registered an FIR against the two friends following the family's allegations.
Police said search operations in the Rapti were continuing with assistance from the State Disaster Response Force and municipal teams.
A senior city police official identified in reports as SP City Nimish Patil was recorded as overseeing the search. Teams searched the riverbank and the watercourse; Prince's slippers were reportedly found near the river bank on Tuesday and some of his clothing and his mobile phone were recovered from the Amrutani area. As of late Wednesday night, the boy had not been located, the police said.
The disappearance triggered a large public upset in Pathra. Family members and other residents blocked the main road near Transport Nagar from about 3 PM, causing a long queue of vehicles. Officers from several police stations, including the SDM Sadar and CO Cantt, reached the scene and intervened. The blockade ended around 9 PM after police explained the steps being taken in the search and after local leaders and family members communicated with officials, according to the police timeline.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name of missing student | Prince Kumar, 16 |
| Resident | Semra Devi Prasad Chhotka Pathra, Ramgarhtal |
| School | MG Inter College (Class 10) |
| Search teams | City police, SDRF divers, local municipal teams |
| Public action | Road blockade near Transport Nagar for ~6 hours |
Family members told reporters they believed there had been a previous quarrel between Prince and the two friends, including an episode about three months ago and another dispute three days before the incident. Citing these prior differences and the circumstances of Prince's disappearance, the family said they suspected that the youth had been murdered rather than having drowned accidentally.
Police confirmed registration of an FIR against the two friends but did not release further details about the charges or the progress of the investigation. The involvement of SDRF divers indicates the search is being treated as a priority recovery operation; however, police sources cautioned that no definitive conclusion had been reached pending recovery of Prince or additional forensic evidence.
The case has drawn local attention because it concerns a minor and occurred along a public stretch of the Rapti within the Gorakhpur municipal area. The outcome of the ongoing search and subsequent forensic and legal procedures will determine whether the incident is treated as an accidental drowning or a case of homicide with alleged concealment, officials said.
Residents and local community leaders urged authorities to expedite the search and provide clear information to the family. Police appealed for calm and asked anyone with information about the incident to come forward to assist the inquiry.
Further developments were awaited late Wednesday night as search teams continued operations in and along the Rapti river.
