10-year-old boy drowns in private swimming pool in north Delhi, family alleges negligence

New Delhi: A 10-year-old boy drowned in a private swimming pool in north Delhi's Jagatpur area on Sunday, with family members alleging negligence and lack of safety arrangements at the facility, sources said.

The deceased has been identified as Sanskaar, son of Neerja Verma from Ibrahimpur village.

The Class 6 student, along with his brother and some friends, had gone to the pool on Pushta Road in the morning, sources said.

The boy's family alleged that he was found unconscious in the pool nearly half an hour after he entered the water, and was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Neeraj Verma, the boy's father, alleged that there were no lifeguards or safety arrangements at the swimming pool.

"I sent both my sons, along with a friend's children, to the swimming pool around 9 am. Almost half an hour later, I got a call saying that my son was unconscious and was being rushed to a hospital," he said.

Verma said he immediately rushed to the Trauma Centre in Civil Lines, where his son was taken to. The boy was declared dead on arrival at the centre.

"I did not accompany my children to the swimming pool because they usually charge an entry fee. Even the guardians have to pay separately for entry. So I sent my sons along with other children. Within half an hour, I got the call informing me that my son had drowned," Verma said.

"I wish strict action were taken against those responsible because nobody was watching these children at the time. For half an hour, they did not even realise that my son was drowning. What sort of safety measures are these?" Verma asked.

The victim's uncle Gaurav Verma said he received a call about the incident at around 10 am.

"He had gone to the pool to take a dip and to play. There were no lifeguards present at the time, and the children were not provided life jackets either. Nobody even bothered to ask if Sanskaar knew how to swim," he alleged.

According to Gaurav Verma, around half an hour later, some children who went near the pool to take a floating device noticed that Sanskaar was lying motionless in the water.

"When they went closer, they found him unconscious. He had drowned and was soon rushed to the hospital," the uncle alleged.

Police said the post-mortem was conducted at AAA Hospital mortuary.

A case has been registered, and an investigation has been launched. Legal action is being taken against the owner of the swimming pool and others responsible, they said.

In a statement, the police said, "Information was received from Trauma Centre, Civil Lines, Delhi, regarding the admission of patient Sanskaar (10), son of Neeraj and resident of Ibrahimpur village, who was brought dead after drowning in a swimming pool at Jagatpur." "During the course of the enquiry, it came to notice that the child had gone to a swimming pool located in the Jagatpur area, where he drowned in the water. The swimming pool was found to be unguarded. There was no life guard deployed by the pool owner," the statement read.