16-year-old boy goes for swim at Lake with two friends, drowns
Times of India | 16 June 2025
123456 Kolkata: A 16-year-old boy, who had gone for a swim at the public pool at Rabindra Sarobar, drowned on Sunday morning. While it was not clear whether Shivam Kumar Singh, a resident of Ballygunge, knew how to swim or how well he could, Lake regulars claimed a combination of factors, such as poor maintenance of the pool, allowing the growth of creepers and weeds in the water body, and absence of lifesavers, could have led to the boy's death. Police have shut the pool, which will remain closed till further notice.The incident occurred around 7 am on Sunday, when Shivam, along with two of his friends, entered the pool. Morning walkers and others, who were around the place at that time, had reportedly warned them against splashing around in the pool unless they knew how to swim. While one of the boys came up and left, Shivam and the other friend, continued to be in the pool. After a while, the others in the pool suddenly spotted Shivam's friend struggling to stay afloat and they rushed to him and pulled him out of the water. But no one could find Shivam anywhere in the water. Even as the other swimmers continued their search for Shivam, the Lake security guards called the police, and cops from the Rabindra Sarobar PS arrived. A search of around 45 minutes, Shivam was fished out in an unconscious state. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.Shivam was the fifth among nine siblings. Their father, Asok Singh, worked at a private company in Burdwan, neighbours said. "It was only when policemen arrived at their home that we got the news of Shivam's drowning. Two of his elder brothers went to the police station and then to MR Bangur Hospital. We had heard Shivam could swim," said a neighbour. But there were some others in the locality who claimed he did not. Following an initial investigation, police suspect Shivam's feet might have got trapped in the weeds that had grown around the swimming pool, preventing him from re-surfacing. But, they said, the cause of the death could be confirmed only on receiving the autopsy report. An unnatural death case has been registered. "The boy's body was covered in weeds," said Somendra Mohan Ghosh, a Lake regular. "The KMDA has repeatedly been requested to keep the pool clean. Besides, there is no lifesaver to keep an eye on swimmers." A KMDA official said the public pool at the Lake was a water body with a depth of around 10 ft to 12 feet, where people had been coming for a swim for decades. "An SOP would be framed in consultation with police, after which the pool would be reopened," said a KMDA official.