SAMBALPUR: In a tragic incident, two final-year MBBS students of Burla-based Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) drowned while bathing at Deojharan waterfall in Jujumura area of Sambalpur district on Saturday afternoon.
Monica Meena and Sandeep Puri were part of a group of six students who had gone to the popular waterfall site for an outing. Monica was a native of Rajasthan, and Sandeep belonged to Delhi.
The tragedy sent shockwaves and a pall of gloom descended on the medical college campus as well as in Burla.
Inspector-in-charge of Jujumura police station Sanjay Rout said, the students were enjoying a bath when a sudden downpour led to a sharp rise in the stream’s water-level, sweeping away the two students.
Local tourists and other students present at the site immediately alerted the fire service and police. Rescue teams arrived at the spot and pulled out the two from the water but both were declared dead upon arrival at VIMSAR, Burla.
Police sources added that Monica sustained a head injury after hitting a rock, and was found bleeding.
Superintendent of VIMSAR, Lal Mohan Nayak described it as ‘an extremely unfortunate incident’ and said students were advised to avoid vulnerable spots during the monsoon. “However, as their examinations had concluded yesterday, they went to a far-off waterfall which sadly turned into a tragedy. Parents of one student are expected to arrive tonight and the others, by tomorrow, after which the post-mortem will be conducted,” he added.
Police have registered a case of unnatural death and further investigation is underway.
The incident cast a pall of gloom over VIMSAR as the Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT) has struggled with drowning deaths of students in the past few months, despite safety advisories.
On April 11, a final-year student of VSSUT drowned at Fishery Point on Hirakud reservoir while attempting to rescue a friend. Prior to that, another student had died at the nearby Power Channel on March 13.
Both locations were among seven danger-prone water bodies around the campus that the university had flagged in an advisory following an earlier incident. Despite this, students have continued to visit restricted zones, leading to repeated tragedies.