Digital Desk |
Bhopal/Shahdol, Nov 10 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Tuesday announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of three teenagers who drowned in a pond in Shahdol district a day earlier.
Yadav expressed grief over the incident and said he had directed officials to provide the assistance from the Chief Minister’s discretionary fund.
In a post on social media, the Chief Minister described the deaths as “extremely heartbreaking” and said, “I pay my humble tribute to them and extend my deepest condolences to their families.” “I have directed that financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each be provided to the families of the deceased from the Chief Minister’s discretionary fund,” he said.
The incident took place on Monday evening between 7.30 p.m. and 7.45 p.m. at a pond behind Chowpatty, near Jhula Pul, under the Kotwali police station limits in Shahdol.
According to police, four youths — Sameer Banshkar, Gaurav Banshkar, Durgesh Banshkar and Pushpendra alias Pankaj, residents of the Gharola area in Ward No. 22 — were sitting near the pond when a police patrol vehicle, Dial-112, reached the spot. Seeing the police vehicle, all four allegedly jumped into the pond. While Pankaj managed to swim out, the other three entered deeper waters and drowned.
Personnel from Kotwali and Sohagpur police stations reached the spot after receiving information and called the State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF). After nearly an hour-long rescue operation, the three teenagers were pulled out unconscious and taken to the district hospital, where doctors declared them dead.
The incident triggered a commotion at the hospital, with family members alleging that doctors were not available on time and stretchers were not provided to transport the bodies. They also alleged that the police had chased the youths, forcing them to jump into the pond.
However, Kotwali police denied the allegation, maintaining that the patrol vehicle was on routine duty and had not chased the youths.
City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Rajendra Mohan Dubey said the exact reason behind the youths jumping into the pond was not yet clear and all aspects were being investigated.
Meanwhile, Shahdol Collector Parth Jaiswal constituted a three-member inquiry committee comprising Additional Collector Sarodhan Singh, Additional Superintendent of Police Abhishek Diwan and Civil Surgeon Dr Shilpi Saraf. The committee has been asked to submit its report within a week and examine the circumstances leading to the incident, the allegations made by the families and the arrangements at the district hospital.
The district administration has also sanctioned immediate financial assistance of Rs 25,000 each to the families of the deceased.
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