What happened here
1 / 3 A 22-year-old man from Sahibabad, said to be preparing for the civil services examination, drowned in the Ganga canal at Shani Mandir ghat in Muradnagar, Ghaziabad, at about 10 am on Wednesday 11 November 2026. A friend who also slipped into a deep pit was pulled out alive. It was the second drowning at the Muradnagar canal in two days. The reports do not say whether the ghat had warning signs or a rope.
Quick answers
What happened at Shani Mandir ghat in Muradnagar?
At about 10 am on Wednesday 11 November 2026 a 22-year-old man from Sahibabad drowned in the Ganga canal at Shani Mandir ghat while bathing with five friends. A friend who also slipped into deep water was pulled out alive.
How did it happen?
The two went into a deep pit in the canal and began to drown; they shouted and people nearby pulled them out.
Where were they taken?
To a community health centre, where doctors declared one dead; the other was in normal condition.
Who was he?
Hindustan and Dainik Bhaskar report a 22-year-old from Sahibabad, and Dainik Bhaskar says he was preparing for the civil services examination.
Was there another drowning at the same canal?
Yes. Two girls drowned in the same canal on 10 November, and one died; we cover it separately.
Did the ghat have warning signs?
The reports do not say.
How can canal bathing be made safer?
Stay where you can stand, never bathe alone, assign one person to watch from the steps, and use ropes, signs and lifeguards at ghats.
What should I do if someone goes under?
Shout for help, throw something that floats, do not jump in unless you can swim safely, call 112 or 108 and start CPR if the person is not breathing.
What happened
The Muradnagar Shani Mandir ghat drowning happened at about 10 am on Wednesday 11 November 2026 on the Ganga canal at Shani Mandir ghat in Muradnagar, Ghaziabad district, Uttar Pradesh. A 22-year-old man from Sahibabad drowned while bathing with five friends, and a friend of the same age who also slipped into deep water was pulled out alive. Hindustan and Dainik Bhaskar report his death.
Both outlets say the two men went into a deep pit in the canal and began to drown. They shouted, and people nearby pulled both out. They were taken to a community health centre, where doctors declared one of them dead and said the other was in normal condition. His family told both outlets that he was preparing for the civil services examination. Dainik Bhaskar says the family did not know how he came to be bathing in the canal.
This page names no one. It sets out what is reported, where the reports differ and what a canal teaches. Hindustan notes that two girls drowned in the same canal the day before, and we cover that on its own page.
What the reports say
- When: About 10 am on Wednesday 11 November 2026 (Hindustan; Dainik Bhaskar)
- Where: Shani Mandir ghat on the Ganga canal at Muradnagar, Ghaziabad district, Uttar Pradesh (Hindustan; Dainik Bhaskar)
- Who: Two 22-year-old friends from Sahibabad who had come with four more friends to bathe (Hindustan); Dainik Bhaskar calls the dead man a civil services aspirant
- What happened: The two went into deep water, got caught in a deep pit in the canal and began to drown (Hindustan; Dainik Bhaskar)
- Rescue: Both shouted, and people nearby pulled them out of the canal (Hindustan; Dainik Bhaskar)
- Outcome: At the community health centre, doctors declared one dead; the other was in normal condition (Hindustan; Dainik Bhaskar)
- The family: The family told both outlets he was preparing for the civil services examination; Dainik Bhaskar says they did not know how he came to bathe in the canal
- The day before: Two girls drowned in the same canal on 10 November; one died (Hindustan; Dainik Bhaskar)
- Identities: Reports name the two friends; we name no one
Where reports differ and what we do not know
- The friends: Hindustan says the man and his friend came with four more friends, six in all. Dainik Bhaskar says the same. Neither says whether the other four were in the water.
- The pit: Both outlets say the two were caught in a deep pit in the canal. Neither says how the pit formed or whether it was marked.
- How they were rescued: Both outlets say people nearby pulled them out; neither says whether a rope or any equipment was used.
- The earlier drowning: Hindustan says the girl who died the day before was six and Dainik Bhaskar says a 14-year-old was still critical. We cover that on its own page.
- Not reported: None of the pages says whether the ghat had a warning sign, a rope or a lifeguard, or whether the two could swim. We do not guess.
What this teaches
A canal bed is not even. A pit or a drop can sit a few steps from the edge, and fast water carries a person into it before they know. Friends who bathe together often assume that someone will notice, but a person in trouble in cold, deep water is quiet and cannot call for long. The shout here was heard, and two people were pulled out, but one could not be saved.
We have covered similar events, among them the Kota canal boat capsize, the Sai River immersion drowning, the Gujarat drowning cluster of nine deaths and the Raghopur boat capsize. Our guide to Chhath and Dev Diwali ghat safety sets out what to do at a ghat, our guide to water safety in rivers, ponds and wells explains how to keep safe and our guide to saving a drowning person without risking your own life says what to do when someone goes under. For the minutes after, our guide to basic first aid, including CPR covers what to do next.
We do not know whether the ghat had a warning sign, a rope or a lifeguard, or how long the two were in the water. The police have not published a finding, and we will update this page if they or the district administration do.
- Six friends from Sahibabad bathe in the Ganga canal at Shani Mandir ghat; two go into a deep pit and begin to drown (Hindustan; Dainik Bhaskar)
- The two shout and people nearby pull them out of the canal (Hindustan; Dainik Bhaskar)
- They are taken to a community health centre, where doctors declare one dead and the other is in normal condition (Hindustan; Dainik Bhaskar)
- Hindustan publishes the first report and notes the drowning of two girls the day before (Hindustan)
- Dainik Bhaskar publishes its report with the family's account (Dainik Bhaskar)
Why consequences escalated
- A 22-year-old man drowned in the Ganga canal at Shani Mandir ghat, Muradnagar, on 11 November 2026 while bathing with friends.
- A friend who also went into a deep pit in the canal was pulled out alive.
- It was the second drowning at the Muradnagar canal in two days, after the two girls on 10 November.
- The reports do not say whether the ghat had warning signs, a rope or a lifeguard.
- No police finding is published.
Failures and risk multipliers
- No inquiry finding has been published. The reports leave these questions open:
- Whether the ghat had a warning sign, a rope or a lifeguard.
- How the deep pit in the canal bed formed and whether it was marked.
- Whether the two could swim and how long they were in the water.
- Whether safety steps followed the girls' drowning the day before.
- These are open questions, not findings of fault.
Actions that reduce risk
- Anyone bathing in a canal: stay on the dry steps or in shallow water, never go beyond where you can stand and never bathe alone or after a meal.
- Friends in a group: agree that one person stays on the steps to watch the others and has a phone.
- Anyone who sees a person in deep water: shout, throw a rope or something that floats, and do not jump in unless you can swim and reach the person safely.
- Call 112 or 108 and give the ghat name and a landmark.
- Authorities: put up warning signs, ropes and lifeguards at canal ghats and mark deep pits.
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