A trekking expedition by a 25-member National Cadet Corps (NCC) team ended in a tragedy as one of them drowned, even as his colleagues clicked a selfie on the edge of a pond at Kanakapura near Bengaluru, police said on Tuesday.
“The tragic incident occurred when the cadets went to Ramagondlu betta (hill) in the neighbouring Ramanagara district for trekking on Sunday and entered the nearby pond for a swim,” Ramanagara Deputy Superintendent of Police M.K. Thammaiah told IANS on phone.
G. Vishwas, 17, also entered the pond but drowned since he didn’t know swimming, while his friends were busy taking a selfie at one end, unaware of the tragedy.
The cadets, all pre-university course students of National College in the city’s south suburb, went for trekking on Saturday and camped at the foothill for overnight stay.
“The cadets learnt only later during roll call that Vishwas was missing,” the officer said.
They rushed to the pond and found his body at a depth of 10 feet
The pond near a temple is located off the Kanakapura road on the state highway in the old Mysuru region and about 40km from Bengaluru.
Kaggalipura police station registered a case of unnatural death under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code after Vishwas’ father Govindappa filed a complaint, alleging negligence by the college management.
Parents and relatives of the victim staged a protest at the college in the city on Monday, seeking compensation for the tragic death of Vishwas./Eom./310 words.