Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A Sunday outing turned fatal after a 17-year-old student drowned while bathing in Tigariya Badshah lake under the Banganga police station limits.
While three of his friends were rescued from a deep underwater ditch by their friend Nilesh, an adept swimmer, who acted swiftly and pulled three of his friends to safety. However, Krishna Rajawat slipped away and disappeared into deep water.
According to ACP Rubina Mizwani, the incident occurred on Sunday afternoon when Krishna, 17, a resident of Kumhar Khadi, went to the lake with five minor friends without informing their parents. One of Krishna's friends, however, stayed away from the swimming endeavour.
The group reached the lake around 12.30 pm to escape the scorching summer heat, a routine they frequently followed. According to police, around 2.30 pm, the teenagers ventured deeper into the water and suddenly fell into an unexpected 20-foot-deep underwater trench.
We regularly come to the lake to beat the heat. We did not realise there was such a deep ditch inside. I tried my best and managed to pull three of them out by their hair, but could not save Krishna, Nilesh told police.
5-hour search operation
When Krishna did not resurface, his panicked friends informed family members and police. A team from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) was rushed to the spot to launch a search operation.
After a five-hour search operation, the SDRF and police teams recovered Krishna s body from the lake around 7 pm.
Family members said Krishna had appeared for his Class 10 board examinations this year. His father runs a vegetable cart and Krishna regularly assisted him in the business.
NOT FIRST TIME
A similar incident occurred on March 31, 2024, when a 15-year-old boy, Pawan Vishwakarma, a resident of Ram Nagar, drowned there under similar circumstances.
Pawan, a Class 9 student, had also gone to bathe in the lake with his minor friends. He ventured into deep water and drowned. The SDRF later recovered his body after his family launched a search when he failed to return home late at night.
