Mother’s Love Amid Tragedy: Durga Puja Pandals Remember Victims of Bargi Dam Boat Accident

A moving tribute to a mother who died while holding her young son during the Bargi Dam boat tragedy in Madhya Pradesh has drawn attention during Durga Puja celebrations. A clay sculpture displayed at a Durga Puja pandal has commemorated the mother’s sacrifice, bringing the heartbreaking incident back into public discussion.
 

The installation is based on the boat accident at Bargi Dam in Jabalpur, where a tourist boat carrying passengers overturned after a sudden, severe storm struck the Narmada reservoir.
 

During the rescue operation, divers recovered the bodies of Marina and her four-year-old son, Trishan. The circumstances in which the two were found deeply moved people. According to the account of the incident, Marina had secured her son inside her own life jacket and continued holding him close, even as the boat went down.
 

The mother’s final act of protecting her child became a powerful symbol of maternal love and sacrifice. A digital artwork depicting the mother embracing her son also circulated widely on social media following the tragedy, prompting emotional reactions from viewers.
 

During Durga Puja, organisers at a pandal recreated the scene through a clay sculpture, presenting the mother as a symbol of Maa Shakti and paying tribute to her devotion to her child.
 

Questions Over Viral Artwork
 

The digital image associated with the tragedy has also sparked discussion online. Some social media users have questioned whether the original image was authentic, suggesting that it may have been an imagined visual created using artificial intelligence (AI) and subsequently linked to the accident.
 

The Punjabi Tribune has not independently verified the authenticity of the viral image or the claims surrounding its creation.
 

The Durga Puja tribute has nevertheless brought renewed attention to the tragic loss of Marina and her young son in the Bargi Dam accident.