In life and death, three friends remain united

Patna: A friendship that stood strong for over two decades met a cruel end in a fatal accident on a lonely mountain road in Nepal. Three men—bound by laughter, shared journeys, and countless memories—set out to welcome the New Year with prayers at Pashupatinath, carrying hopes and dreams in their hearts. But what began as a pilgrimage of faith turned into a devastating tragedy. Their return was marked not by celebration, but by silence as their lifeless bodies reached the two towns in Begusarai and Patna districts. The incident left three families in disbelief, and shattered, grappling with the several haunting questions.Arvind Kumar (50) of Badi Ballia, Samarjit Kumar alias Bittu (40) of Shadipur Karari village in Ballia in Begusarai district, and Rajnish Kumar alias Golden (45), originally from Barh in Patna, all friends for around 20 years, left for Kathmandu’s Pashupatinath temple on January 2 to celebrate New Year, but they died in a road accident that occurred on January 6. Their last rites were carried out in their native villages on January 8.According to family members, the three friends left for Nepal on January 2. On January 3, they offered prayers at Pashupatinath and shared photos and videos from the temple on social media. They then planned to travel onwards to Birganj for sightseeing.On the evening of January 4, around 4 pm, each of them called home to say that the temple visit was completed and they were returning. Families were told they would be back by morning with ‘prasad’. After that, their phones reportedly went switched off, and there was no contact for the next 24 hours. When relatives began searching on January 6, they learnt through Nepali media reports that the three died in a road mishap.Information available to the families indicates the men left Kathmandu on January 4 in an SUV headed towards Birganj. The vehicle met with an accident in Nepal’s Bagmati region, in Makwanpur district, where it reportedly went out of control near Judi Khet village on the Kulekhani–Kathmandu road and plunged about 100 metres into a gorge. Other passengers were also in the vehicle. Locals helped rescue the injured and took them to the Hetauda govt hospital, where Arvind, Samarjit and Rajnish were declared dead.Relatives travelled to Nepal on January 6 and contacted Nepal Police. After post-mortem formalities, the bodies were handed over to the families. However, bringing the three friends home together became another struggle.Santosh Kumar, a relative of Samarjit, said, “No ambulance was ready to transport all three bodies at once. The families then hired a pickup vehicle for Rs 20,000 and brought the bodies via Raxaul to Ballia in Begusarai district.”After final rites at home, Arvind and Samarjit were taken for cremation on the banks of the Ganga, while Rajnish’s body was sent to Barh in Patna for last rites.In Barh, family members said Rajnish’s two daughters insisted on shouldering their father’s bier, saying it was their right and their final journey with him—an image that left many in the village silent and teary-eyed.The three men were well known in their communities. Rajnish, who lived in Ballia for about 20 years, ran an iron business and was known for sourcing hard-to-find items.Arvind operated a general store in the Vyapar Mandal market and also ran a belt and eyewear business, often bringing stock from Nepal trips on which he frequently took his two friends along. Samarjit was engaged in farming.