Boy’s body exhumed after family allege negligence in pool death at Gwalior hotel

Bhopal: In a disturbing incident, Gwalior Police, on Wednesday, exhumed the body of a seven-year-old boy who allegedly drowned in a swimming pool at a plush private hotel in the city.

Investigating officers said they were probing allegations of negligence and inadequate safety measures put forward by the deceased minor’s family.

His family members told police that they initially believed he died in a swimming accident and even buried his mortal remains on the same night. However, after speaking to relatives and acquaintances, the family approached police alleging negligence and a lack of adequate safety measures in the hotel premises.

They demanded a proper investigation and post-mortem on the minor to determine the exact circumstances leading up to his death.

The body, identified as Ved Pal, checked into the hotel along with his family members for a dinner outing and a pool party, on Monday night, the police said, adding that they later found him unconscious inside the main swimming pool.

The minor was rushed to a hospital but the doctors declared him dead on arrival.

On the family’s complaint, the police registered an unnatural death case and initiated the process of exhuming the body.

The minor’s body was exhumed, on Wednesday, from the burial site in the presence of an executive magistrate before being sent for an autopsy.

After the post-mortem examination, the body was handed back to the family.

The investigating officers said they were examining whether standard safety measures, including deployment of lifeguards and monitoring of the pool area, were in place at the time of the incident.

The police said they were also in the process of collecting CCTV footage, while the hotel staff were being questioned for leads.

“A case of unnatural death was registered and the body was exhumed following due process, in the presence of an executive magistrate. We can only shed light on the cause of death once we get the post-mortem report. Our investigation is currently focussed on determining whether adequate security protocols and safety measures were in place at the hotel and if there was any negligence on the part of the staff,” Gwalior senior superintendent of police, Dharamveer Sing Yadav, told TOI.