Sixyearold drowns in JM Park lake

LUCKNOW : A six-year-old boy drowned in the lake inside Janeshwar Mishra Park in Gomti Nagar here on Monday, police said. He was rushed to Lohia hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, they said. No police complaint was lodged in the matter by the time of filing this report.

LUCKNOW: A six-year-old boy drowned in the lake inside Janeshwar Mishra Park in Gomti Nagar here on Monday, said police. He was rushed to Lohia hospital where he was declared brought dead, they said.

According to cops, the incident occurred in the afternoon. “The deceased was identified as Krishna, a resident of Gwari village near the park,” said station house officer (SHO) of Gomti Nagar police station DP Tripathi.

No police complaint was lodged in the matter by the time of filing this report. “The family members of the boy have not lodged any complaint. We will start an investigation if a complaint is submitted,” said the SHO. Krishna’s father Ram Gopal, who runs a salon, could not be reached for comment.

According to reports, Krishna entered the park with three of his friends and was playing near the lake when he allegedly slipped, fell inside the lake and drowned. His friends tried to alert other visitors but it was too late by the time some people reached the spot.

The place was not in direct sight of the guards who were apparently resting in shade.

Absence of proper arrangements also marred the rescue efforts. The locals complained that there were no life guards or floats available near the lake.

“It is such a huge lake, yet there is no equipment to save someone who is drowning. The guards don’t even have rope or sticks ,” complained Surendra Singh who is a regular to the park. “The only measure the authorities have taken is to put up a sign board warning visitors against going too close to the lake,” he added. The park, termed as one of the largest parks in the country, receives a heavy footfall throughout the day. It is managed by the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) and is guarded round the clock by over a dozen private security personnel.

The LDA had started an investigation into the matter, said an official of the development authority. He added that there was sufficient security inside the park. To note, in 2015, a 22-yearold youth got drowned in the lake in a similar manner.