UP: School topper drowns in Gorakhpur's Rapti river; mother alleges foul play

A 16-year-old school topper drowned here while bathing with five friends, with his mother alleging foul play due to jealousy over his academic success, police said on Friday.Ansh Maurya was a class 11 student at Aditya Public School and had secured 91 per cent marks in his Class 10 board examinations.The incident took place on Thursday afternoon when Ansh, along with his five friends, went to the Rapti river in Gorakhpurs Jhangha area to bathe.His family received a phone call around 3 pm regarding the incident.

A 16-year-old school topper drowned here while bathing with five friends, with his mother alleging foul play due to jealousy over his academic success, police said on Friday.

Ansh Maurya was a class 11 student at Aditya Public School and had secured 91 per cent marks in his Class 10 board examinations.

The incident took place on Thursday afternoon when Ansh, along with his five friends, went to the Rapti river in Gorakhpur's Jhangha area to bathe.

His family received a phone call around 3 pm regarding the incident. When relatives reached the riverbank, they found his clothes and slippers lying there, while his friends were missing, the police said.

The police and SDRF teams launched a search operation late on Thursday, but poor visibility forced it to be suspended. The operation resumed on Friday morning and the SDRF personnel recovered the body around 1 pm.

Ansh's mother, Pratima Maurya, alleged that her son was forcibly drowned due to jealousy over his academic success. ''My son was a topper and his friends were jealous of him. They drowned him,'' she alleged.

The police questioned all five boys. Sources said their statements appeared inconsistent, particularly regarding claims that Ansh entered deep water fully clothed, while his clothes were later recovered from nearby bushes.

SHO of Jhangha, Anoop Singh, said that the body has been sent for post-mortem examination.