Nagpur: In a double tragedy, two persons drowned in a Khadan-type tank in Beltarodi Shankarpur area here on Tuesday night and Wednesday noon.
According to details, activists of a Durga Mandal were immersing the idol at the Khadan-type tank spread over 2.5 acres in Beltarodi Shankarpur area on Tuesday evening. One of the overenthusiastic activists named Vinod Matre (19) of the same area jumped into the water for helping the immersion of idol. However, to the bewilderment of others present at the spot, Vinod did not come to the surface. After waiting for a while, the panicky people informed the police. But a sort of confusion prevailed between Hudkeshwar and Hingna Police Stations over the jurisdiction. Finally, a team of cops from Hingna reached the spot and started a search for Vinod’s body. In the meanwhile, Fire Brigade too was informed about the incident. However, the Fire Brigade refused to extend any help in searching the body citing jurisdiction reason as the incident had occurred in rural area. In the jurisdiction mess, body of Vinod Matre could not be retrieved till the night. At 10 pm, the search was given up to be resumed the next morning.
In the morning of Wednesday, a social worker named Ashok Bagul brought four divers from Gumgaon of Hingna Tehsil for tracing the body. At about 12.30 pm, the four divers arrived at the spot for rendering help to cops and other people in retrieving Vinod’s body. Two of the divers entered the water for searching the body and two remained at the banks of the tank. However, one of the divers named Dau Miskim expressed his desire to enter the water and help in tracing the body but was advised not to do so. But Dau insisted and suddenly jumped into the water. The moment he jumped into the muddy water, Dau started drowning. Left aghast by the scenario, PI Hemant Kharabe of Hingna Police Station, who was supervising the operation, NPC Dakhode of Hudkeshwar Police Station and a local person jumped into the water to save Dau but it was too late as he too drowned.
The atmosphere at the spot turned somber as two persons drowned in the tank within a span of 18 hours. Soon the Fire Brigade personnel too arrived at the scene and started tracing bodies of Vinod Matre and Dau Miskim as well.
The bodies were not retrieved till the filing of this report.
