Minor drowns in overflowing pond in Gurugram’s Farrukhnagar

A 13-year-old boy drowned in Gurugram after he entered an overflowing pond to rescue his cattle on Wednesday, police said on Thursday.

Investigators identified the deceased as Ajay Kumar, a student of Class 8 at a government school in the village.

According to the police, the incident took place at Harinagar Duma village in Farrukhnagar at about 1pm on Wednesday. The cattle had wandered to the outskirts of the village while grazing. The minor boy reached the pond to find several of them inside the waterbody.

Sandeep Kumar, public relations officer of Gurugram Police, said that though Kumar didn’t know how to swim, he entered the waterbody in an attempt to rescue his cattle.

“The usually dry pond having a depth of nearly 80 feet was overflowing with rainwater. The boy could not fathom the depth of the pond and went to the deep side of it. His feet then got stuck in mud and he drowned,” the official said. A person who was near the pond with his flock of sheep spotted the boy drowning and raised an alarm, he said, adding that police were also informed.

Investigators said an inquiry under Section 194 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita was underway in the case. Compensation of upto ₹1.5 lakh is expected to be granted to the family of the deceased.