Taking selfies near water bodies banned in MP's Barwani after close-shave; Sec 144 imposed

Days after a life-threatening tragedy was averted in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara after local police and administration successfully rescued two girls who were trapped in the middle of a river, the district administration on Monday imposed Section 144 in Barwani of Madhya Pradesh and banned taking selfies near water bodies in the district.

On Thursday, the police rescued two girls, who got stuck in Pench river while taking selfies. Despite restrictions due to the impact of Coronavirus and a ban on mass gathering, a group of 6-8 girls visited the Pench river in Chhindwara district's Belkhedi village for a picnic.

'They went to take a selfie'

To take a 'perfect selfie', two of them sat on a stone in the middle of the river. Meanwhile, the water level of the river rose suddenly and they found themselves trapped. Looking at this, their friends informed the police administration about the incident. The police and the local administration along with the gram panchayat acted swiftly and rescued the girls safely.

READ | Police rescue 2 girls stuck in Chhindwara's Pench river who went in for a selfie; watch 

"A group of six girls came to the riverside of which two went into the Pench river to selfie but they stuck after the water level of the river rose," SK Singh Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) said.

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"A team of police personnel managed to rescue the girls with the help of local administration and also some of the villagers. The girls were standing on the rock for an hour. They were so frightened that they could barely speak even after they were rescued. They were sent to hospital however there is no casualty," the SDPO added.

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(With agency inputs)