'I can help in every way, but I cannot bring your son back': Himanta consoles family of 13-year-old who died saving puppy

The grief inside the Panika household was palpable as Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited the family of 13-year-old Hridip Panika, who lost his life while trying to save his beloved puppy, Borun, during the recent floods in Assam.
 

Standing beside the grieving family, Himanta Biswa Sarma hugged Hridip's mother, Parbati Panika, as she broke down in tears. He then held the hand of Hridip's father, Deepak Panika, offering words of comfort as the couple struggled to come to terms with the loss of their only child.
 

Deepak Panika broke down while recalling the day his son was swept away by the floodwaters.

"He was our only son," he said, unable to hold back his tears.

As the family wept, Sarma tried to console them.

"I can help you in every possible way. I will build your house and do everything I can, but I cannot bring your son back," the Chief Minister told the grieving parents.
 

Through tears, Deepak recounted how his son had risked everything to save the family's puppy.

"He saved the dog, but he was swept away," he said. "He was just 13 years old and was studying in Class 8 at the Model School."

Speaking about the bond between Hridip and the puppy, he added:

"When the dog was one-and-a-half months old, he brought him home. He raised him with so much love."

The puppy, Borun, survived. Hridip did not.
 

His mother, Parbati Panika, recalled the desperate hours as floodwaters engulfed their home.

"My brother came to help me during the floods, but the water reached here too. We couldn't save our child," she said.

Hridip, the only child of Deepak and Parbati Panika, lived in Bamun Pukhuri village under Nazira in Assam's Sivasagar district. As floodwaters rapidly inundated the village, he noticed Borun, his three-month-old puppy, being swept away by the strong current.

Without a second thought, the teenager jumped into the raging waters to rescue the animal he had lovingly raised.

Borun survived.
 

Hridip was carried away by the powerful current. His body was recovered later after an extensive search, leaving behind parents who had already lost their home and belongings to the floods.
 

The Panika family's tragedy has come to symbolise the human cost of this year's devastating floods in Assam. Even as the Chief Minister assured the family of all possible government assistance, the parents remained inconsolable, mourning the loss of the son who had been the centre of their lives.