Patancheru: Warden Held After 6 Students Drown During Ganesh Immersion

Police said the management of Sirisha Memorial Charitable Trust had not obtained permission for the Ganesh idol immersion. Eight students entered Neredukunta Cheruvu to immerse the idol and got into deep water. Two were rescued, while six drowned.

The police said that the incident occurred around 5.30 pm when a group of students from the trust went to the lake, located close to its premises, for the third-day immersion.

Eight students entered the lake carrying the idol. They reportedly stepped into deep pockets in the lake bed and began drowning. Other students and workers from a nearby construction site rushed to their aid and rescued two of them.

Police said the trust management had not informed them about the immersion or obtained permission.

An officer said the police had to be informed about the immersion of any idol measuring three feet or more. A website had been created for this purpose so that police could make necessary arrangements and provide assistance along the route to the immersion point, he said.

The trust had installed the idol on its premises but did not seek permission for its immersion, he said. The trust’s warden accompanied the students to Neredukunta Cheruvu and was present during the immersion but did not enter the water to supervise the process, he added.