10 June,2014 08:31 AM IST | | Shirish Vaktania
While the police say the boy had a seizure, his family blames Country Club and its lifeguards for negligence; father says his son was learning to swim and that guards should have paid attention
A school boy who had gone to the Country Club in Kandivli for an afternoon swim drowned in the club's swimming pool, after a seizure attack. The boy's family has blamed the club's management and lifeguards for their negligence, and the Kandivli police investigating the case.
Country Club in Kandivli, where the boy drowned
The victim was identified as Tapan Palan (12), a resident of Shimpoli Road in Borivli (West), who was a Std V student of M K School in Borivli. According to the police, Tapan was swimming in the water and went under the surface. Lifeguards only realised something was wrong when the unconscious boy came floating to the top.
Authorities registered first aid on him and rushed him to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivli, which declared him dead before admission. His father Dharam told mid-day his son was not a swimmer. Said Dharam, "Tapan had gone to Country Club on Saturday with his mother and friends. He had only begun to learn swimming in the last two days.
How can the lifeguards be so negligent? I can't believe it that he went unnoticed until his body came up floating! They should've kept a watch on the pool."
No CCTV footage
Prima facie, the cops have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and sent his body for post-mortem. Primary evidence suggests that the boy had a seizure. The club authorities also told them that they thought the boy was a good swimmer and that he had gone underwater.
Police Sub-inspector Ghodge, who is investigating the case, said, "People at the club told us he was a good swimmer. There are four guards present at the pool, and others watch. When Palan disappeared under the surface, the lifeguards thought he had gone underwater."
He further added, "Palan died due to a seizure attack. His family told us that he had a history of seizures. We have registered an ADR and are investigating further." The victim's father has demanded CCTV footage from the cameras installed near the pool.
But, club authorities, in their reply, have stated that they only have a camera at the entrance of the premises, and that there was no surveillance near the pool. Despite repeated attempts, Country Club officials refused to comment on the incident.
