The boy is seen drowning behind while a group of students click a selfie in Bengaluru's pond.
Highlights
- 17-year-old student entered 10-foot pond with classmates
- They didn't notice him drowning as they took a selfie
- Realised he was missing hours later, body found in pond
A selfie taken by a group of students from a Bengaluru college shows one of them drowning in the background in a large pond on the outskirts of the IT hub.
On Sunday, Vishwas G, who was 17, was part of a group of 25 cadets from the National College in Bengaluru when they entered the pond which is nearly 10 feet deep in the Ramanagram district.
They then left the pond to visit a temple without noticing that Vishwas was missing. Later, a student scrolling through the photos they had taken earlier spotted Vishwas' head disappearing under water. The students contacted the local Kagalipura police who reached the spot and then discovered Vishwas' body in the pond.
Umar, who goes only by his first name, was in the National Cadets Corp with Vishwas. He said, "It's shown in selfies that he is drowning and no one is seeing him. Friends and all were there, but they didn't see anything."
Sanjay Siddarth, Vishwas's classmate, said, "May his soul rest in peace. He was a very good person. Very kind and gentle. We miss him. He used to sit next to me."
Vishwas' parents have accused the college of negligence and ignoring the safety of students on a college trip.
The authorities at National College told NDTV that 25 students had gone on the picnic accompanied by one professor. On Monday, parents and students protested at the college, accusing it of negligence. They left only when college officials said an inquiry would determine the facts of Vishwas' death.
Vishwas's father, Govind, who is an auto driver, says that no action has been taken against the college or any individual. The police has filed a case of unnatural death.
"After they have taken them, isn't it their responsibility? The college is saying it is the NCC's responsibility. (While) the college is saying they didn't know about it," said Govind.
His wife, Lakshmi, said, "When they have taken the children, they have to be responsible. How could they leave the children and go?"
There were protests over Vishwas outside the college yesterday.