A Saturday afternoon that began with a haircut errand turned into every parent’s worst nightmare. Two young boys are still missing somewhere in the swirling currents of Arunachal Pradesh’s Chatjo River, and the clock is not on anyone’s side.
When a River Permission Became a Fatal Detour
Three hostel students from a school in Deomali, Tirap district, were reportedly allowed to step out for haircuts on Saturday — a routine thing, the kind of small freedom boarding school kids look forward to. But instead of heading straight to the barber and back, the boys made their way to the Chatjo River for a bath. The river was in full spate, swollen by heavy monsoon rains that had lashed the region through the past week. What happened next took only seconds to become irreversible.
One Body Found. Two Still Missing.
Local residents managed to recover the body of 12-year-old Paupwang Aana on the same day the boys went missing. But the other two — Phosam Wangno, 12, and Ngowang Kakho, 13 — have not been found. The Chatjo River, wild and unforgiving in the monsoon months, shows no sign of giving them up easily. Rescue teams who pushed into the water on Sunday were stopped cold by the sheer force of the current.
A Massive Hunt Stretching Downstream
By Monday, the operation had grown significantly. Teams from the NDRF, Indian Reserve Battalion, Assam Rifles, police, SDRF, and community volunteers joined forces to comb the downstream stretches of the Chatjo River. That’s a lot of agencies, a lot of boots on the ground — and still no sign of the two boys. The terrain in Tirap is dense and difficult at the best of times. In monsoon season, with rain still falling and rivers still rising, it becomes something else entirely.
Authorities Sound the Alarm
The Tirap district administration has since issued an advisory urging people — particularly children and youth — to stay away from rivers and water bodies, with IMD forecasting continued heavy rainfall across the district. It’s the kind of warning that feels almost hollow after the fact, but it speaks to something real: rivers in Northeast India during July are not recreational spaces. They are dangerous, unpredictable, and can turn lethal without warning.
A Community Holding Its Breath
Somewhere in Tirap tonight, two families are waiting — waiting for news that keeps not coming, hoping against what the river likely already knows. Phosam and Ngowang were just kids looking for a little adventure on a Saturday. They deserved to come home. The search continues, but with every passing hour, the Chatjo River reminds everyone just how little mercy nature offers when we forget to take it seriously.
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