Missing college student in Chiplun found buried under rubble
The wall, erected by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and built over by the college, had been flagged as a potential hazard by experts and a part of collapsed during heavy rains on Friday evening, likely leading to Ghanekar’s death, said students
Mumbai: Siddhant Pradeep Ghanekar, a 19-year-old student of DBJ College in Chiplun who was reported missing on Friday, was found buried on Saturday under the rubble of the college’s boundary wall. The wall, erected by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and built over by the college, had been flagged as a potential hazard by experts and a part of collapsed during heavy rains on Friday evening, likely leading to Ghanekar’s death, said students.
Ghanekar, originally from Degaon (Dapoli) in Ratnagiri district, lived with his maternal uncle in Lotte village near Chiplun to pursue studies in computer science at DBJ College. “When he did not return home on Friday night, we called all his friends to ask about him, but no one knew anything. So we registered a missing complaint with the local police station,” said his brother Omkar Ghanekar.
A part of the 14-15 feet high boundary wall, built with reinforced cement concrete and topped with a purple stone protective barrier installed by the college, also collapsed on Friday evening when it was raining heavily. “It is likely that Ghanekar had taken shelter from the rain in some closed shacks and the wall collapsed on him,” said a student. “We noticed the debris from the collapse on Friday evening itself and intimated the college management, but no efforts were made to clear it,” the student said.
On Saturday, Siddhant Ghanekar’s location was traced via his mobile phone, which showed he was within a radius of 1.5 km of the college. “When we reached the college after searching for him in various places, a security guard told us about the wall collapse incident the previous day. We then informed the college authorities, and they began digging through the rubble,” said his brother Omkar Ghanekar. The body was found at the same spot sometime later, he added.
The boundary wall had been cited as a potential hazard by experts, said sources. “During heavy rains, water rapidly accumulates on the service road. There is no proper drainage as well, making the area a security risk,” said a student. The incident has highlighted issues related to construction safety as well as the need for maintenance of infrastructure adjacent to educational institutions.
Since the deceased student was enrolled under the insurance scheme introduced by University of Mumbai last year, his family will receive ₹5 lakh compensation, said college principal Madhav Bapat. “The paperwork for the same is currently in progress,” he said, adding that the college management had been assisting Ghanekar’s family and seeking government aid for them.
Pradeep Sawant and Rajan Kolambekar, former senate members of the University of Mumbai, demanded that the insurance amount be released on fast track to provide relief to Ghanekar’s family.