Pune: Anger and grief gripped Alandi on Friday as the town observed a voluntary shutdown following the deaths of eight 16-year-old students who drowned at Diveagar beach in Raigad district during an educational trip on Thursday.
Markets remained closed, and major roads and marketplaces wore a deserted look. The mood was tense outside Winners Academy and Study Centre and across Alandi where parents and relatives gathered seeking answers about the arrangements, supervision and safety measures during the trip.
For several parents, the grief soon turned into anger. “We sent our children there trusting the institute. We want to know who was responsible for their safety and why such a trip was organised if the institute itself was allegedly operating without a licence,” said a relative of a student, requesting anonymity.
Another relative said, “Our children lost their lives. Someone must answer why basic safety and regulatory requirements were allegedly ignored.”
Parents, relatives and villagers who arrived at the crematorium were visibly distressed. Some gathered in groups outside the crematorium and the Nagar Palika office, while others waited for information about the bodies’ return. Police personnel have been deployed outside the academy for the second consecutive day as tension prevails in the area.
The eight students drowned at around 5:30pm on Thursday after entering the sea during the trip. Local residents and water-sports operators launched a rescue operation after an alarm was raised, but all eight were found dead.
{{/usCountry}}The eight students drowned at around 5:30pm on Thursday after entering the sea during the trip. Local residents and water-sports operators launched a rescue operation after an alarm was raised, but all eight were found dead.
{{/usCountry}}The bodies of Sumeet Ahire, Tanmay Vahile, Pranav Bansode and Kaiwalya Wasankar were cremated at the Alandi crematorium amid a sombre atmosphere. The bodies of Soham Bhandwalkar and Rajveer Vahile were cremated at Kelgaon, near Alandi. The cremation at Alandi started in the morning around 9.30am and continued till 2pm.
The bodies of Yash Kiran Wankhede, from Amravati, and Kaustubh Sandeep Dond, from Shrirampur in Ahilyanagar district, were taken to their native places for the last rites.
A particularly heartbreaking scene unfolded at the Alandi crematorium as the funeral pyres of four students burned at the same time. Khed MLA Babaji Kale, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation mayor Ravi Landge and Alandi municipal council president Prashant Kurhade were among those present during the funerals.
Alandi municipal council president Prashant Kurhade had appealed to residents to observe a voluntary shutdown on Friday as a mark of respect for the deceased. Essential services were exempted.