College student drowns in water-filled vacant plot in Noida, was drinking with friends

Officials aware of the investigation in the case, requesting anonymity, said that the victim knew swimming, but drowned after moving into deeper water

A 23-year-old college student drowned on Wednesday afternoon after he entered a 20-foot-deep water-filled vacant plot owned by Noida authority in Sector 94, where he had allegedly gone to drink alcohol with three friends to celebrate the successful completion of his semester exams, officials said.

Police identified the victim as Harshit Bhatt, a resident of Indirapuram in Ghaziabad. (Photo by Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times)

Police identified the victim as Harshit Bhatt, a resident of Indirapuram in Ghaziabad. He was a third-year student of Bachelor of Physical Education in his final semester at Amity University, officials said.

Officials aware of the investigation in the case, who asked not to be identified, said that the victim knew swimming, but drowned after moving into deeper water. Efforts to rescue him were made, but by the time he was retrieved and rushed to a hospital, he had succumbed.

The victim’s three friends – all in their 20s and studying in the same department – had gone to the spot carrying beer bottles and consumed it there, an officer said.

“While celebrating, Bhatt, who knew how to swim, decided to take a bath in the water that had collected in the excavation plot. His friends told us that they tried to stop him by saying the water was not clean, but he didn’t listen and jumped in after removing his clothes,” the officer added.

Initially, Bhatt took a bath at the edge where the water was shallow, but later moved further into deeper water. When his friends spotted him drowning, one of them jumped in to save him but came out to call for help due to the depth.

Forensic teams recovered beer bottles from the spot, said Sumnesh Kumar, station house officer, Sector 126.

A puncture shop owner, Chaman, and an ambulance driver, Sanoj Kashyap, were alerted by one of the friends crying for help. “As he approached me saying his friend was drowning, I, along with Sanoj, rushed to the spot and dialled a local police officer at 4:04pm. I jumped into the water to search for him but failed to find him,” Chaman told HT.

Sanoj, who along with police officers also jumped into the water and searched for nearly 45 minutes, said, “Along with local police officers and divers, I was able to locate his body and pulled him out. His leg was stuck in bushes, while his hand was caught on iron grills inside the water.”

By the time Bhatt was taken to a nearby government hospital in Sector 39, he was declared brought dead.

The plot of land is owned by Noida Authority and is located adjacent to a high-rise building in Sector 94, with a foundation stone laid for a “Noida Convention and Habitat Centre.” The area is filled with bushes and a water-filled basement.

“The water was probably accumulated there due to rain,” said Manish Singh, additional deputy commissioner of police, Noida.

When asked why the students chose that spot, one of the officers cited above said, “The spot is located near their university, and most students are aware of it.”

However, first responder Chaman, whose shop is located behind the land, said, “I never let anyone enter the plot during the daytime if I can help it. On Wednesday also I did not see anyone entering from the back. Most probably, the students might have entered from the front gate, where a security guard is deployed.”

Security guard Prem Pal, who joined the job around four days ago, denied letting anyone in:

“I didn’t allow anyone inside the premises.”

Noida Authority officials offered a different version.

According to them, the guard stopped them, but they entered forcefully. “The guard deployed at the site directed the students not to enter the premises, but they did not pay heed to repeated instructions. After some time, one of the students jumped into the water and was pulled out by his friends. They again sat, and the same boy jumped again. He was pulled out a second time and then taken for treatment,” said SP Singh, general manager of the Noida Authority.

The body was sent for post-mortem, and alcohol consumption will be revealed in the autopsy report. Bhatt is survived by his parents and a younger sister. His father, serving in the armed forces and posted in Jammu, was on his way to Noida after receiving the information.

“Harshit Bhatt was the final year student of Amity School of physical education. Exams are going on in the campus and he left the campus today after writing his exam in the afternoon. We were informed by police about his death. Police is investigating the cause of his death and we are fully cooperating with Police. We express our deepest condolences to the bereaved family members,” said Amity Spokesperson in a statement.