Man out picnicking slips and drowns in Gurugram’s Dhankot canal

Police said the deceased and his friends were able to reach the canal as there was no fencing along the waterway

A 19-year-old man, out on a picnic with his three friends, drowned in a canal in Dhankot village on Wednesday after they went in for a dip, police said on Thursday.

There is no fencing around Dhankot canal on Gurugram-Farukhnagar road near Dhankot village, in Gurugram,. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

The deceased was identified as Himanshu Singh, a resident of Shivji Park colony, in Sector 10A.

Praveen Kumar, station house officer, Rajendra Park police station, said that three men were able to reach the canal as there was no fencing along the waterway. “They went deep into the canal despite not knowing to swim and Singh slipped and started drowning. His friends, instead of helping him, got scared and fled the spot fearing police action,” he said.

Kumar said passersby alerted police after which a police team from Rajendra Park police station was sent to the spot and they informed the fire department and the state disaster response force (SDRF). Divers of SDRF arrived at the scene around 2.40pm.

Narender Singh Yadav, district fire officer, Gurugram, said the divers fished out the body after three hours. “The friends did not inform us on time, had they done so, passersby would have jumped in and tried to rescue Singh,” he said.

Kumar said they handed over the body to the family after a post-mortem examination.Inquest proceedings have been initiated under Section 174 of Criminal Procedure Code.

The locals said the canal is unmanned and unfenced, allowing youth easy access to the deep waters. As a result, drowning incidents are frequent during summer, they said.

“Many come here from different areas of the city for swimming and picnicking, and some venture into the water unguarded. Despite knowing the hazards of leaving the canal unfenced, authorities have never taken any initiative to ensure such accidents do not take place. There is no patrolling or signboards warning people against entering the canal,” said Aakash Rao, a villager of Dhankot.

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) in August last year started putting up an iron fence along Gadoli canal after an eight-year-old drowned there. Officials said that the grille and fencing will be along the open portion of the drain near the inhabited areas.

Vikram Singh, Executive Engineer, GMDA, said they are undertaking the fencing work of open drains under their jurisdiction, which are in close proximity to residential areas. “Currently, 4.5km of fencing will be installed across various stretches of Leg 1, Leg 2 and Leg 3 drains,” he said.

Nishant Kumar Yadav, deputy commissioner, said they will fence in all the areas along the canal, where mishaps have taken place in the past. ,