Navi Mumbai: Five days after a class XII boy from Father Agnel School in Vashi drowned in the swimming pool of the school, five people from the school including the swimming coach and life guards have been booked by Vashi police. The incident had happened on April 13 in the school premises when class XII boy, Mayur Damale, 17, was at the pool. According to his father, Adinath Damale, Mayur had been learning swimming since class XI as a part of co-curricular activity of the school. Mayur was still learning to be an expert in swimming and was under training of the coach.
On the day of the incident, after his college at 1.15pm, his swimming training had started. “From the CCTV footage, we learnt that all the kids had gone back by around 2.30 pm thinking that Mayur was still practicing. After the kids left, Mayur was in water for about 10 minutes and suddenly started drowning in the the 7 feet deep area. Neither coach nor the life guard was anywhere in the area. When after shower kids realized that Mayur had still not come, the life guard rushed to have a look and brought him out. They then took him to hospital and informed us,” the father said.
Even when the family reached the hospital, the school authorities allegedly told the family that the boy had faced breathing issues while swimming and hence was brought to hospital. Only after the father insisted on watching the cctv footage, he learnt the truth. “I had demanded from police to book a case against the life guards, coach and also the school administration but the police conveniently avoided the administration,” the father said.
5 People Booked For Negligence
The police have booked Swimming coach Lakshmansingh Kalusingh Thakur and four life guards identified as Akash Kalu Devade, Surajkumar Ashokkumar Chaudhary, Omgovind Shyamkishor Yadav and Sagar Raosaheb Shivsharan. All five have been booked for causing death by negligence. “We have served all five with notice as per the CrPC. These are the five whose negligence caused the death and no one else’s,” senior police inspector Madhukar Bhatte from Vashi Police Station said.
