CHANDIGARH: A final-year student pursuing a Post Graduate Diploma in Cricket at Haryana Sports University in Rai, Sonipat, allegedly drowned in the university’s swimming pool on Thursday night.
Sources said the 20-year-old student, identified as Nishant Gautam, a resident of Palwal in Haryana, was staying at the university hostel. He reportedly entered the swimming pool around 8.30 pm and slipped into deep water, leading to the drowning incident.
He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital by university staff and fellow students, but doctors declared him brought dead.
The maternal family of Gautam belongs to Chirawata village, which is also the native place of Haryana Sports Minister Gaurav Gautam. However, officials clarified that the family has no direct relation to the minister.
The incident has cast a pall of gloom not only over the university campus but also in the village linked to the student’s family.
The tragedy has triggered panic and grief across the campus and put the university’s safety arrangements under scrutiny. Questions are being raised over whether mandatory safety norms were followed and whether a trained lifeguard was present at the poolside when the incident occurred. The swimming pool had reportedly opened only earlier this week.
Sources alleged that information about the incident reached the university administration after a considerable delay, hampering immediate rescue efforts.
Sonipat Police have taken possession of the body and sent it for postmortem examination. Police are also examining CCTV footage, the number of staff present at the pool at the time of the incident, how many personnel were officially deployed, and the overall safety infrastructure around the pool area to determine whether negligence played any role. Investigators are also verifying whether a lifeguard was present at the time of the incident.
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team has inspected the spot as part of the ongoing investigation, and the swimming pool has been sealed.
Authorities have also sought details from the university administration regarding operational protocols and emergency response mechanisms.
