Hyderabad: Boy drowns in pool during school outing

Hyderabad: A three-year-old nursery student drowned in a swimming pool at a resort in Moinabad, where he and other students had been taken by the DPS Future Windows School of Mehdipatnam on Saturday.

The parents of the student Mohd Ayaan Azam alleged that it was the negligence of the school staff which caused their son’s death. The Moinabad police of Cyberabad booked a case against the school management.

According to DCP Shamshabad N. Prakash Reddy, the school took the children and their families to the resort. “The incident happened around 2 pm. Azam slipped into the pool and drowned when he was left unattended,” the DCP said.

Speaking to this newspaper, a senior employee at the school, Rubina, said 75 children and their families had gone on the picnic. “I personally know Azam and the family as well. Eleven children from the family are studying in the school. Ayaan was an adorable kid and is not someone who was naughty. If asked to stand at one place for two hours, he would do so,” she said.

She said the CCTV cameras will be checked by the management to fix responsibility.

According to sources, a doctor who was present at the scene said Azam was underwater for about three minutes.

The DCP said criminal action would be taken after a thorough investigation and the parents can approach the court with their complaint and the school’s licence can be cancelled. 

“The boy’s family had 30 members at the resort including the parents, grandparents and other relatives. We asked the lifeguard to leave as the women wearing hijab and salwar kameez were getting into the pool and were not comfortable. If it was the school’s fault, I would have hanged myself but his whole family was present there and Azam’s mother was heard shouting and scolding his father, asking him how he could he leave the child unattended, to which he replied that he had gone to the washroom,” a school official said.

Based on a complaint, a case was booked under Section 304-A (death by negligence) of IPC against the school and the boy’s body was shifted to Osmania General Hospital for post-mortem examination. The arrest of those responsible for the child’s death and other actions will be taken after a thorough investigation.