7-year-old boy drowns in lake created for idol immersions

Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) created the artificial lake ahead of the Ganeshotsav festival at the Meenatai Thackeray Chowk in Rabodi.

Thane: A seven-year-old boy drowned in an artificial lake created for Ganesh idol immersions at Rabodi on Friday evening. The minor, who went to the premise along with a few of his friends, entered the water and drowned. Police officials said that his body was removed from the lake on Friday night.

The artificial lake where the 7-year-old boy drowned at Rabodi in Thane (Praful Gangurde/HT Photo)

Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) created the artificial lake ahead of the Ganeshotsav festival at the Meenatai Thackeray Chowk in Rabodi. The four-foot deep lake is used for immersion of only small household idols.

According to the police, for the last two days, since the lake was accessible to the people for immersion many children from the nearby slums were caught trespassing on the lake premises and trying to enter the water to have fun. The guards and immersion team on the site claimed that they had scolded the children and sent them away. On Friday, there were no immersions and the lake lacked safety barricades or guards due to which the children could enter the water. The boy was identified as Jaihad Shaikh, 7, a resident of the Apna Nagar area.

Rabodi police station senior police inspector, S Ghatekar, said, “Some people around saw him going to the area with other children around 7.30 pm. Around 8.00 pm, some children started shouting for help when Shaikh was drowning. We reached the spot with the RDMC team within 5 minutes and brought him out of the water. Shaikh was rushed to hospital, where he was declared dead before admission.”

Thane Regional Disaster Management Cell officer Avinash Sawant said, “On Friday, there was no immersion at the lake therefore it was closed. The children from the nearby slum area jumped from the small compound wall to play in the water. After getting a call at 8 pm, our team immediately reached the spot and removed the boy from the lake. He entered into the water but couldn’t manage to swim and drowned.”

The boy’s father, who is a daily wage worker, and his family members were unaware that he had gone to the lake to play. The police is yet to record the statements of the family.