7-Year-Old Dies After Drowning In Swimming Pool In Gwalior; Body To Be Exhumed For Post-Mortem After Family Alleges Negligence

Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): A seven-year-old boy drowned in a swimming pool at a hotel in Gwalior on Wednesday.

The deceased, identified as Ved Pal, had gone to the hotel with family members for dinner and a pool party. He died after drowning in a swimming pool.

The family had already buried the child's body, but the matter came in to the attention of the police now. The child's father and uncle visited the Gawri police station to report the accident.

They demanded that the body be exhumed and a post-mortem examination be conducted to establish the negligence of the hotel management.

The child's body is sent from the Laxmi Ganj Muktidham to conduct the post-mortem.

The Incident

Devendra Pal, a resident of Gol Paharia in Janak Ganj stated that he had gone to the Prince Mama Hotel for dinner and a pool party along with his wife Bharti Pal, his elder brother Dinesh Pal’s son Ved Pal, and other relatives.

While the adults were in the main swimming pool, the children were playing in a separate kids’ pool nearby.

Devendra Pal said that when he looked to the pool, Ved was missing. Family members immediately started searching for him. After some time, Ved's body was discovered in the deeper section of the main swimming pool.

He rushed to Ankur Hospital, from where he was referred to the Jay Arogya Hospital (JAH), where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Family members, devastated by the incident, initially treated it as an accident, they took the body to the Laxmi Ganj cremation ground and buried it.

When people informed the family that the hotel management's negligence might be the reason of the accident, as there were inadequate arrangements for lifeguards and security on the premises.

Realising the seriousness of the matter, the child’s father and uncle approached Gawri police station and demanded a postmortem examination. Police have registered a case and started an investigation. Police said that the child’s body will be exhumed from Lakshmi Ganj cremation ground for postmortem examination. This is the first case in Gwalior where a buried child’s body will be exhumed for postmortem.

The police will also visit the Prince Mama Hotel to conduct an inquiry and collect CCTV footage from the time of the incident.