Child rights panel orders probe into drowning of student at Mussoorie school
The incident took place on Monday at around 6am when the boy was practicing in the swimming pool with other students where he suddenly lost consciousness and drowned
The Uttarakhand Commission for Protection of Child Rights on Wednesday ordered a probe into the death of a minor boy who drowned in a swimming pool of a boarding school in Mussoorie.
“We have directed the DM, SSP Chief Medical Officer, and Chief Education Officer to conduct a comprehensive investigation and submit a detailed report on the matter”, Geeta Khanna, chairperson of the Uttarakhand child rights panel said.
“We have asked the CMO to constitute a medical team that will investigate the circumstances of the drowning incident, the first aid and other medical facilities provided afterward. It will assess the availability of oxygen in the school, the deployment of security personnel and lifeguards, and their ability to administer first aid, life support, and CPR,” Khanna said.
The 13-year-old boy was a resident of Delhi and studying in class 7.
The incident took place on Monday at around 6am when the boy was practicing in the swimming pool with other students where he suddenly lost consciousness and drowned in the pool.
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Dehradun senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh, “The police received a death memo from the Community Hospital, Mussoorie which reported about a 13-year-old boy student at the boarding school who was brought to the hospital in a deceased state by the headmaster. Upon receiving this information, police from Mussoorie reached the scene and gathered details from the school staff regarding the minor’s death.
“The staff informed us that the child was practicing to swim in the pool when he suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed. The school management immediately brought him to the hospital, where the doctor declared him dead”, Singh said.
KK Singh, senior sub inspector (SSI) at the Mussoorie police station, stated, “The student was practicing in the pool, which began at 5:20am. There were 70 students in total for the pool practice. Around 6am, the student suddenly started to drown. He was immediately pulled out of the pool, given CPR, and rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead.
“He had completed one lap, and before starting the second lap, it seemed like he was practicing breath-holding exercise underwater... but when he didn’t come up, he was pulled up by a fellow student and subsequently taken out,” another police official said.
“Prima facie, there seems to be no foul play. But we can’t say anything conclusively before the postmortem report comes,” Singh said.
No case has been registered yet, he added.