Tragedy strikes as teenagers drown while celebrating birthday at Barabanki Dam

Jamshedpur: A day that was meant for celebration turned into a heart-wrenching tragedy as 14-year-old Ryan Cruise Toppo, a resident of Birsanagar Zone No. 6, and his 16-year-old friend, Robbie Simon John, hailing from Birsanagar Zone No. 1, lost their lives in a drowning incident at Bada Banki Dam, situated under the jurisdiction of the MGM police station, late on a Sunday evening.
Sunday marked the occasion of Ryan’s 14th birthday, and in the spirit of celebration, he had set out to commemorate the day with his friends, including Robbie and Nishant. They informed their families that they were heading out to play football. Tragically, the day took a grim turn when Nishant, one of the companions, called his family to report the dire situation. According to Nishant, Ryan had an unfortunate slip while near the dam, and he began to sink into the deep water. Desperately, he held onto Robbie’s leg, but both young lives were ultimately claimed by the water’s depth.
Ryan was a Class 8 student at LFS, while Robbie was in Class 10 at Loyola School.
The sorrowful incident led to a heartbreaking dispute among family members regarding the handling of the deceased teenagers. MGM police had to intervene as Ryan’s family members engaged in a heated dispute. This tragic incident is compounded by the fact that in February 2023, Ryan’s mother, Kiran Kujur, had been accused of murdering her husband, Julius Praveen Toppo. Since then, Ryan had been under the care of his uncle, with his mother residing separately at her parents’ home. Upon hearing the devastating news, Ryan’s maternal family members arrived at the post-mortem facility, applying pressure to have Ryan’s body entrusted to them, further intensifying the emotional turmoil surrounding this heartbreaking event.