Two cousins aged 14 and 12 drowned in a pond at Ramkrishnapalli in Barasat on Saturday afternoon after entering the water to bathe following a game, with locals raising concerns over the pond’s increased depth and the delay in the arrival of a disaster management team.
The deceased were identified as Rudra Das, 14, and Debarghya Das, 12. Both boys lived in Vidyasagar Palli in Barasat and had left home on Saturday morning to play, police said. After finishing their game near the pond, the cousins entered the water.
According to local residents, the pond had recently been renovated, which had increased its depth. Neither boy knew how to swim. The two reportedly slipped into deeper water while no other people were present in the pond.
A person living in a house opposite the pond saw the boys drowning and raised an alarm, according to a local trader quoted in the report. Residents, police personnel and fire brigade workers then began a search operation. The father of one of the boys, Gopal Das, also entered the pond in an attempt to locate them.
The search continued for an extended period before the boys were recovered and taken to Barasat Medical College and Hospital. Doctors declared them dead. Police sent the bodies for post-mortem examination.
The incident has brought renewed attention to the safety of deep ponds located within residential areas, particularly where children can access the water without supervision. The account supplied by the source does not establish whether warning signs, barriers, lighting or other safety measures were installed after the renovation.
Residents also expressed anger over what they described as a delay in the arrival of the disaster management team. The report does not provide an official response to those concerns or details of the renovation work, including the agency responsible for it.
The deaths occurred during the festive season and left the Ramkrishnapalli and Vidyasagar Palli neighbourhoods in mourning. Gobinda Das, Rudra’s father, told the report, “Everything is over for us.” Police proceedings, including the post-mortem examination, are continuing.
