Bhubaneswar: A Class VIII student drowned while taking a bath in a pond at Nilakantheshwar temple in Baramunda village under Khandagiri police station limits on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on Monday.
The deceased student has been identified as Om Prakash Pradhan. He was a Class VII student at Municipal High School in Baramuda and was staying at Baliya Baba Ashram after being orphaned.
On receiving the information, Khandagiri police and fire personnel reached the village and rushed the boy to the hospital, but the doctor declared him dead.
Later, the police seized the dead body and sent it to Capital Hospital for post-mortem. After the autopsy, the police handed over the dead body to Baliya Baba Ashram at Tapoban.
This is the second incident of drowning in a pond in a week. Earlier, two students died after drowning in a pond in the Airfield PS area.
As today was a holiday for Gandhi Jayanti, instead of going to the school for this morning, Om Prakash and some other children went to take a bath in the pond at Baramunda village.
While Om Prakash was taking a bath with his friends, he suddenly slipped and went under. Other friends tried to rescue him but in vain. On hearing them screaming, some local youths tried to rescue the student but they too failed
Later, Khandagiri police and fire brigade arrived and fished out the dead body of the minor boy.