Police in Jangipur have decided to prevent children from bathing in local rivers until the monsoon recedes in September to avert any untoward incident.

Y. Raghuvamshi, the police chief of Jangipur in Murshidabad district, on Wednesday will lead a team that will make public announcements across the town prohibiting children under the age of 15 to bathe in the rivers.

The decision has been taken after two boys Ansarul Sheikh, 12 and Raju Sheikh, 12, drowned in the Ganga near Farakka while bathing on Tuesday morning, marking the fifth such incident since June and raising the fatality count to eight.

“The Jangipur police district will be cautioned that starting tomorrow (Wednesday) until September, children below the age of 15 will not be allowed into rivers for bathing. They often bathe along with adults, but not knowing how to swim are prone to drowning as in today's unfortunate incident," said police superintendent Y. Raghuvamshi.