Former India kabaddi team captain Deepak Hooda falls into Ganga in Haridwar, rescued by Uttarakhand Police
Deepak Hooda was a BJP candidate from the Meham constituency in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections.
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The Uttarakhand Police posted a video of Hooda's rescue on its social media handle. (Source: X/@uttarakhandcops)Deepak Hooda, a former captain of the Indian men’s Kabaddi team and a BJP leader, fell into the Ganga river in Haridwar and was swept away by the high current before a team of the Uttarakhand Police rescued him Wednesday.
Talking about the incident, Hooda said Thursday, “I had been regularly visiting Haridwar. It was Sawan Shivratri yesterday, and I went there for a holy dip. While I was taking the dip, I slipped into a ditch. I could not balance myself and started drowning. Within a few seconds, the rescue team arrived and managed to pull me out of the water. I would like to thank the Uttarakhand Police.”
“It was scary. The water current was too fast. I could not balance myself. I tried to stay afloat, but it was tough. The rescuers saw me and reached me. Luckily, I could be saved. It is the blessings of people that have kept me alive. I am a good swimmer and have been going there since my childhood. But, it was due to the high water current that I could not balance myself”, added Hooda, an Asian gold medallist and an Arjuna awardee.
The Uttarakhand Police posted a video of Hooda’s rescue on its social media handle. Officials said that during the ongoing Kanwar Yatra, incidents of pilgrims falling into the Ganga river are common. As a result, the Haridwar police have deployed several rescue teams at various ghats.
The BJP fielded Hooda from the Meham constituency in the Rohtak district in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections. In his first electoral battle, Hooda, however, finished a distant fourth and got only 8,929 votes. Congress candidate Balram Dangi won the seat, securing 56,865 votes. Hooda’s wife Sawerty Boora is an international boxer who has also been honoured with the Arjuna Award.
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