LUCKNOW: Four students died after inhaling suspected poisonous gas when they entered an unused water tank to investigate a foul smell at a gurukul in Mathura’s Vrindavan late Tuesday night.
Police sources said two owners of the gurukul, Maharishi Panini Sanskrit Gurkulam, have been taken into custody in connection with the incident.
According to Mathura Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shlok Kumar, an initial inquiry found that a group of students were cooking food on the ground floor of the ashram when a foul smell began emanating from a nearby water tank.
The water tank, about 15 feet deep, was unused and covered with a concrete lid.
As per the SSP, the students initially tried to get rid of the smell by removing the small amount of water inside the tank with a bucket.
One of the students then volunteered to go inside. He climbed down the stairs built into the tank but did not return or respond when the other students called out to him. Four others went down one after another in an attempt to bring him out.
All of them fell unconscious, causing panic among the other students waiting outside. Staff members and local residents then pulled all five students out of the tank, the SSP said.
On receiving the information, a police team rushed to the spot and tried performing CPR and gave first aid to the students, but it did not help. They were all rushed to the hospital.
Four of the students, Manu Katare, 21, of Jabalpur; Vishu and Aryan, 18, of Meerut and Kaushambi; and Devansh, 17, of Vidisha, died during treatment in the early hours of Wednesday. The fifth student survived and is currently stable, said the SSP.
He added that they were waiting for the families of the victims to file a complaint so they could register a case.
Meanwhile, Mathura DM Chandra Prakash Singh confirmed the incident, saying it occurred in the Chaitanya Vihar area of Vrindavan, at a gurukul run by Ashish Sharma.
“He was operating a 'Gurukul' where approximately 200 children were registered, with about a hundred currently residing on the premises,” said Singh, adding that the children who climbed down into the tank were apparently exposed to toxic gas inside, as all five of them lost consciousness.
“Upon learning the incident, the CM took immediate cognizance of the matter. He promptly issued instructions to ensure proper medical treatment for the injured child, and ordered immediate relief and rescue operations... Questions arise how this Gurukul was operating—none of the children were locals; they were from other states. We will investigate whether the institution was even recognized... Since it lacks official recognition, a magisterial inquiry will be conducted to investigate the circumstances under which it was being run...," the DM said.
Maharshi Panini Sanskrit Gurukulam in Chaitanya Vihar provides Sanskrit education and currently has around 120 students. It is run by a person known as Ashish Guruji.
The three-storey building has 43 rooms, and the gurukulam has been operating for the past three years.
