Four boys drown in Ludhiana's Sidhwan Canal after rope breaks during bath.

Ludhiana: A summer bath turned tragic for four minor boys, including twin brothers, who drowned in the Sidhwan Canal near Lohara Bridge on Thursday evening after a rope-tying dare went wrong, fatally.

Eight boys from the Giaspura area had gone to the canal for a swim during school holidays. Initial reports suggest that none of them knew how to swim, and the group allegedly tied themselves together with a rope — likely in a misguided attempt to stay safe. The rope snapped mid-dip, pulling four boys under water. By Saturday, police had recovered the bodies of all four victims — Prakash, 14, Manish, 15, and 10-year-old twins Sahil ‘Molu' and Samar ‘Golu'.

The twins' father, Gian Singh, said the children had left home without informing anyone. "We realised they hadn't returned by evening and began searching," he said. "One of the boys from the group of eight said nothing initially, but under pressure admitted what had happened."

One of the survivors, Lucky, 15, later told police they were too afraid to speak up. "Some older boys often go to the canal and took us along. A rope was there, so we tied ourselves and jumped in. After one dip, four of us got out. I told the others to come out too, but they didn't. Then the rope broke."

Police said a search operation begun after the families had reported the incident. Three bodies were recovered by Friday, and the fourth on Saturday. Assistant sub-inspector Chand Ahir confirmed proceedings are in progress under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Post-mortem examinations will be conducted before the bodies are released to the families.

Authorities have urged parents to remain vigilant during school holidays and warned of the dangers of unsupervised swimming in canals.

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