Nagpur: This has become a common ‘weekend’ story of Nagpur these days.
Youngsters of the city, full of beans and youthful enthusiasm go for a picnic to a water spot: it being monsoons the river/ dam is in full spate and looks inviting. Boys being boys, will wade in.
There are no life guards at the few known spots around Nagpur, no Police stopping them from the misadeventure – and another life is lost. (To be fair to local authorities, they HAD put up a warning board, which even gives names of youngsters who have drowned here to prevent more such mishaps but it does not seem to help much.)
This scenario played itself out in Waki woods near Saoner today.
Mohnish Akeel Patel, is the name of the Raisoni Engg college student who went missing today, assumed drowned. His body, though is yet to be found. He is 23 years old. Though he was studying in Nagpur, he hails from Bhandara.
He went there with 4-5 other students at 9 a.m. this morning. They went on two wheelers.
After spending some time on the banks of the river, Mohnish and some others could not resist the temptation to get into the water despite warnings from others, more cautious boys.
While others remained safely on the side, Mohnish, it is reported ventured further, into deeper waters.
Unknown to the boys, it had rained hard upriver in M.P. and there was a strong under current to the Kanhan river. Soon Mohnish was caught in it and dragged down. Two of his friends tried to go to his rescue but could not do much. They shouted for help but no one seemed brave or foolhardy enough to get into the deep water and the boy soon disappeared from sight.
When word of this spread, police personnel from Saoner rushed there with other officials. They had ‘divers’ with them who tried hard to look for Mohnish, but did not succeed.
Mandwe pattern required
There was a API called Anil Mandwe posted at Khapa police station two years ago who had taken this threat very seriously.
During monsoons, he used to put barricades on the lane leading to the bank of the river to stop ‘picnickers’ and merry makers from going to the river bank. His orders were strictly enforced despite many protests from local people. This action had ensured that no lives were lost while he was in control. Sadly, he got transferred and the new A.P.I. turned lax.
An FIR has been registered. Police personnel Anamika Mirzapure has signed the FIR giving details of the search operations underway.
It is the third such incident at this spot this year.
