Three teenagers drowned in a pond near Jhula Pul in Shahdol late Monday night after allegedly jumping into the water when a police patrol vehicle arrived, prompting a three-member inquiry into what led to the incident and whether any official lapses occurred.
The incident took place behind the city’s Chowpati under the limits of Kotwali police station. The four teenagers, all residents of Banakar locality in ward 22, were reportedly sitting near the pond when the patrol vehicle reached the area. One of them, identified as Pankaj, managed to swim ashore, while Sameer Vanshkar, Gaurav Vanshkar and Durgesh Vanshkar drowned.
The bodies were subsequently recovered during a rescue operation. Shahdol superintendent of police Sanjay Agarwal told the Times of India that the three deceased teenagers were aged between 17 and 18 years.
The precise reason for the plunge remains unclear. Accounts cited in the report suggest that the teenagers may have panicked after seeing the police vehicle. Other claims say they were at a restricted location, while allegations have also surfaced that police personnel chased them. None of these versions has been independently established.
The police have constituted a three-member committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the deaths. The panel includes the additional collector, additional superintendent of police and civil surgeon. According to Agarwal, the committee has been asked to submit its report within three days, after which appropriate action will be taken against anyone found guilty.
The incident also triggered protests at the Shahdol district hospital, where relatives and local residents alleged failures in emergency arrangements. They claimed that an ambulance was not immediately available to transport the bodies and that hospital staff could not arrange a stretcher. The bodies were allegedly carried using bedsheets, according to the report.
Families and residents also alleged that doctors were unavailable at the hospital, intensifying anger after the deaths. These claims form part of the committee’s wider inquiry into the response following the drowning incident.
The case highlights two separate questions for investigators: what caused the teenagers to enter the pond and whether the police patrol’s arrival played a role, and whether the medical and logistical response after the drowning met required emergency standards. The police committee’s report is expected to establish the sequence of events and identify any accountability.
