KOLKATA: A Class XI student of an English-medium school in Kolkata and a seasoned swimmer who had been practising for the past eight years drowned in a swimming pool at Rabindra Sarobar during a regular practice session on Friday evening.Sarit Ghosh (16), a resident of Dhakuria, was reportedly practising an underwater breath-holding exercise when he collapsed and did not resurface. He was pulled out of the water by fellow swimmers and trainers after several minutes. They rushed him to the nearest private hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
What might have happened
Ghosh’s death was eerily similar to that of a 19-year-old trained swimmer at Chetla Agrani Club in June. Medical experts suggested the possibility of shallow water blackout (hypoxic blackout) — a sudden loss of consciousness underwater due to an oxygen imbalance that can affect even fit and trained swimmers.Ghosh was a Class XI student of Sri Sri Academy and the only child of his parents. His mother is a senior researcher at Zoological Survey of India while his father works at West Bengal Biodiversity Board. Police are awaiting a detailed postmortem report. An unnatural death case has been registered and a probe has begun based on a complaint filed by his family members.“My son was an experienced swimmer. He had been swimming for eight years. I have no clue how he can die such a tragic death doing what he loved most,” said Soumendra Mohan Ghosh, Sarit’s father.Prabir Dey, Sarit’s uncle, said they had already submitted a letter of complaint to the police, demanding a thorough and impartial inquiry into the circumstances leading to his death and whether there had been any delay in pulling him out of the water.Lake Friends Club, where Ghosh had been swimming for the past three years, however, disputed the claim, saying trainers pulled him out as soon as they noticed him unconscious on the pool floor.According to Prabir Banerjee, the club secretary, Ghosh was a regular student of the 4.40pm swimming batch and had arrived for practice as usual on Friday. “He entered the pool around 4.45pm on Friday and, according to CCTV footage, swam across it eight times, using freestyle and backstroke, besides practising underwater swimming. By around 5.20pm, he was not visible. A short while later, trainers found him lying on the pool floor,” said Banerjee. Banerjee said the trainers pulled Ghosh out and administered CPR and first aid but found no pulse.“Our pool’s maximum depth is 4ft 6in — shorter than the 5ft 7in height of the teen. Had he not crouched or squatted underwater himself, there is no way he could have drowned,” he added.Following the incident, police shut down the club. Cops said they had collected CCTV footage from the swimming pool and questioned all six trainers.“We are examining CCTV footage and questioning the trainers to establish exactly when Sarit entered the water, when he lost consciousness and how long he remained submerged before being rescued,” a Kolkata Police officer said.A cousin of Ghosh, Aritro Dey, said Sarit was fond of adventure activities, was a Scout and enjoyed swimming and mountaineering. “He was a studious and adventurous young boy. He loved sports and all sorts of adventure activities,” Dey said.
