‘My brother did not even think about his two kids before jumping in’

Ashish Dhusar, 35, known to be a good swimmer, saved a 10-year-old from drowning

My brother was brave and a good swimmer, he saved a 10-year-old from drowning," said Bharti Ganatra, sister of 35-year-old Ashish Dhusar who drowned at Juhu beach on Sunday. Dhusar, who had gone in the water to save the boy, smashed his head on a rock after a big wave swept him away. His body washed ashore on the beach the next day.

The incident took place when Dhusar, a resident of Govind Nagar, Santacruz West, had gone to the beach with his two children, a four-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son, his friends and their families on Sunday morning.

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When they were at the beach, one of the kids from the group named Pranav Bhosale went into the sea. Local fisherfolk had allegedly advised him not to go in as it was high tide, but the kid did not listen. The 10-year-old lost his footing and started drowning. As Bhosale's father could not get him out, Dhusar stepped in.

Ganatra told mid-day, "The boy's father had also gone to rescue him, but failed and returned. My brother was too brave. He didn't even think about his own two kids before jumping in. He left his kids in his friends' custody and went around 50 metres off the coast. Ashish managed to save the kid and hand him over to his father, but a sudden big wave swept him away. He allegedly got stuck between rocks. Local fishermen tried to save him with a boat, but his body had already been washed away."

"The incident took place around 12.30 pm on Sunday, and his body was found on the beach around the same time the next day," she said, adding that this is the second death in the family as their father died due to heart attack just a few months ago. Dhusar was the only earning member of the family which consists of Dhusar's two kids, his sister Bharti, mother Nirmala and nephew Aditya.

The grieving sister added, "He was very helpful and never shied from helping others. Our family is broken now. We lost my father Bhiku Dhusar just a few months ago and now my brother is gone too."

Sub-inspector Prashant Arangale from Juhu police station said, "The incident occured on Sunday when the victim was saving a 10-year-old boy from drowning. His body was washed ashore on Monday. We had sent the body for postmortem at Cooper Hospital and thereafter handed it over to his family. We have registered an accidental death report and are investigating the matter."