16 people drowned to death in Bihar on the first day of Dussehra festival

Image used for representational purposes. File | Photo Credit: Ranjeet Kumar

Amidst Vedic chants, shlokas and conch sounds which marked the beginning of the 10-day Dussehra festival on Sunday (October 11, 2026), at least 16 people are feared to have drowned to death in Bihar when they had gone to fetch holy water from rivers for Kalash Sthapana (a sacred installation of a ceremonial pot) to offer prayers to the deity Durga.

The festival which would end on Vijayadashami, on Tuesday (October 20, 2026).

According to police officials, most of the death reports from drowning have come from the districts of Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and Sitamarhi. “It was due to recent flood situation, the water–level in rivers are risen and people inadvertently gone into deep water to fetch water for holy purpose drowned to death”, a senior police official at Patna police headquarters told The Hindu on Monday (October 12, 2026), preferring anonymity. He said that as many as 16 deaths happened across the state on Sunday, but “the death toll may go up”.