North Delhi pool where 10-year-old drowned lacked licence, lifeguards; owner on the run

A 10-year-old boy drowned in an unlicensed Delhi pool lacking lifeguards; police detained a staffer and seek the fleeing owner and caretaker.

A day after a 10-year-old boy drowned in a swimming pool in north Delhi’s Jagatpur, police detained a staffer for questioning, and found that the facility lacked a valid license from civic bodies and had no instructors or lifeguards on site, officials said.

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They added that the facility owner and the caretaker are currently on the run and efforts are ongoing to arrest them. An FIR has been lodged under BNS Section 106 for causing death by negligence.

HT contacted the facility owner and a staffer but they did not respond to requests for comment.

According to officials, the 10-year-old boy had gone to the private facility with 17-18 of his friends on Sunday morning. The boy entered the pool after paying ₹100 per head, but died within minutes. The boy resided in Ibrahimpur with his parents and a younger brother, police said.

Deputy commissioner of police (north) Raja Banthia said on Sunday, “We received information from the trauma centre in Civil Lines that a boy, aged around 10, was brought to the hospital dead after drowning in a swimming pool. During the inquiry, we found that the child had gone swimming and the pool was unguarded.”

Police said the pool was about 4-5 feet deep and the boy did not know how to swim. Yet, he was not given a swimming tube or a life jacket.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police’s licensing unit said that last year, it would issue licenses to swimming pools, hotels and other places. However, this was discontinued by the Delhi government in July 2025.

Officials said the decision was taken as a significant number of Delhi Police staff were being “diverted” to these activities; therefore, the power was removed to help police focus on crime and order.

Police officials said that even after the authority shifted to civic bodies, many of the pool facility owners have not applied for renewal or fresh license.

A senior police officer said “As of last year, we had issued only 250 licenses to pools. Now, we don’t have the power. The 250 establishments are mainly DDA pools or pools by sports authority or other civic body, hotel pools and school pools. There are many outdoor pools built by private persons and by banquet ground owners. But none of these people applied for a license before. Many such violations occur in these unregulated pools where no lifeguards or life jackets are available.”

For a swimming pool license, the facility must get a trade license from MCD, recommendation from a Sports Authority of India-level coach and food license (if there is an eatery inside).

Delhi Fire Services officials said they issue a fire safety certificate for heated or advanced pools inside stadiums. “As per our records, we have only issued a separate certificate to Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Swimming Pool Complex because it’s a huge, advanced, temperature controlled pool with a seating area where proper exits have to be provided,” said an official.