Three teenagers die in Shahdol pond near Chaupati after jumping in on seeing police

Funeral processions left three homes at once in Gharaula locality of Shahdol town on Tuesday, plunging the whole neighbourhood into mourning. Sameer Vanshkar (17), Durgesh Vanshkar (16) and Gaurav Vanshkar (16) died on Monday night in the pond behind the Chaupati. All three lived in the locality and were related to one another.

According to the information available, a Kotwali police team had gone to the Chaupati at about 7:50 pm on Monday for a routine inspection. Some shops were open and most had closed. The team moved towards the gallery leading from the Chaupati to the Jhula Pul, where some youths were reportedly sitting. At that moment a Police Line vehicle came from the direction of the Jhula Pul with its siren on. Seeing police on both sides, the teenagers panicked and thought they were being cordoned off for action. Preliminary information says the police were only on a routine inspection and no cordon had been set up, but this will be confirmed in the inquiry.

The four teenagers ran towards the pond. A section of the safety fence around the pond was broken, and all four jumped into the water through it. The one who escaped said they had been sitting in the gallery eating and drinking when a police team appeared from one side and a police vehicle passed on the other. On entering the water, he felt a great deal of mud below. He somehow got out and hid in nearby bushes, while the other three were badly stuck in the mud. According to him, the boys had already jumped into the water by the time the police reached the spot. It is feared that the three could not come out because they were trapped in deep mud. The actual cause of death will be clear after the post-mortem report and the inquiry.

The rescue began at about 8 pm with a report of drowning. At 8:04 pm SDRF in-charge Kamal Singh was informed by mobile phone. Before his team arrived, local swimmers helped search for the teenagers. The SDRF team reached at about 8:40 pm, and the three were pulled out of the water between 8:55 and 9 pm. People took them to the district hospital on motorcycles without waiting for an ambulance, but none of the three could be saved.

Family members alleged that an ambulance did not arrive at the spot in time and that the hospital did not give the necessary treatment immediately. According to the available information, duty doctors were present at the hospital, but people were angry that no specialist doctor was available. A large crowd gathered near the pond and there was a scuffle with police. Some people reportedly tried to vandalise a police vehicle and jostled police personnel. The commotion at the district hospital continued until about 3 am, when officials pacified the crowd.

All three families are economically weak. Gaurav was the only son of his parents, who make bamboo baskets to run the household; he also helped by picking scrap. His mother is distraught. Durgesh played the dhol in a band party and also worked daily as a labourer at the Chaupati. Sameer was the youngest of four brothers; he too worked as a daily-wage labourer at the Chaupati and played the dhol in a band party.

Local residents have raised serious questions about the pond. They say the water is shallow but a lot of silt and mud has collected at the bottom, in which anyone entering can get stuck. They complained of encroachment around it and alleged that wastewater and sewage from many houses are discharged directly into the pond. They said the mud kept building up because of the lack of regular cleaning. It is also being said that accidents have happened here before, but there is no official confirmation. Residents also allege that the area turns into a haunt of drug users by evening. When police and administration officials reached the spot after the accident, they found empty liquor bottles and items linked to intoxicants lying there. Lighting around the pond is inadequate and the safety fence is broken. Residents have asked the municipality to beautify the area and strengthen security, and said that if this is not possible, complete securing of the pond should be considered. There is no official confirmation that the dead teenagers were involved in drug use or gambling.

During the post-mortem on Tuesday morning, Collector Parth Jaiswal, Superintendent of Police Sanjay Agrawal, the local MLA and other officials went to the district hospital and consoled the families. The families questioned the working of the police and the health department and demanded a fair inquiry. Officials assured them of an investigation and necessary action. After the post-mortem the bodies were handed to the families, and the three were cremated at about 3:30 pm, after which tension in the town eased.

The Collector has set up a three-member committee headed by Additional Collector Sarodhan Singh to investigate the whole matter. Additional Superintendent of Police Abhishek Diwan and Civil Surgeon Dr Shilpi Saraf are also on it. The committee has to submit its report in three days. It will examine the role of the police, the circumstances in which the teenagers jumped into the pond, the time at which the SDRF arrived, and the treatment arrangements at the hospital.

Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav expressed grief, calling the incident heart-rending, and directed that Rs 4 lakh each be given to the families of the dead from the Chief Minister's discretionary fund. The district administration has handed each family cheques for Rs 25,000 as immediate assistance from the Red Cross Society. The Scheduled Castes department has also sanctioned assistance of Rs 10,000 to Rs 18,000 depending on eligibility.