17 year old drowns in pond while friends were clicking selfies

A swim in a temple pond as part of a two-day college trekking trip ended in tragedy for a 17-year-old PU college student when he drowned in the pond, a few metres away from the shore where his friends were playing. The deceased has been identified as G. Vishwas, a student of National College in Jayanagar.

Vishwas was part of a team of around 21 students who had visited Ravagudlu, in Kanakpura, in the outskirts of the city on Saturday for a trekking trip, and were expected to return tot the city on Sunday evening. They were accompanied by their National Cadet Corps (NCC) coordinator Girish.

The group stayed at the Gunda Anjaneya temple on Saturday night and went trekking on Sunday morning. Upon returning, several students got into the pond and Vishwas accompanied them, but he decided to go in deeper. A group selfie taken by the students shows Vishwas drowning in the background; his friends unaware of his struggle to stay afloat.

“Yes, there are pictures of his drowning. The drowning happened when the pictures were taken,” said Ramanagar SP Ramesh Bhanot.

Vishwass father Govindaraju, an autorickshaw driver, has lodged a police complaint accusing the college management of being negligent and causing his sons death, said the police.