‘Finger-pointing, lodging of cop plaint won’t bring my son back’

KOLKATA: Souvik Chattopadhyay, father of Class-X student Souryadeep, one of the two teenagers killed when their rowing boat with four schoolboys capsized in the Rabindra Sarobar on Saturday evening, is being haunted by self-remorse since the death of his son. Despite repeated prods by family members and friends, he doesn’t want to lodge a police complaint of negligence against the club authorities.The reason — he believes the problem doesn’t lie only with the club but is much deep-rooted involving all agencies.
Sitting at the second-floor room of his son, strewn with his sketchbooks and T-shirt paintings, the bereaved father said: “My loss is irreplaceable. But I don’t want to lodge a police complaint now and point fingers at someone or some organisation in particular. I believe the reason behind my son’s death is a collective failure of various fronts combined.”
Chattopadhyay said he believed that as a father he had failed his son the most as he sent him to Lake Club without even checking if they maintained basic safety protocols. “But if I am 90% responsible, all other agencies combined will have to take the onus for the rest 10%. The school authorities failed as their co-ordinators and trainers didn’t raise an alarm when they saw there was no rescue boat, the club failed as they continued the tournament and training sessions without the rescue boat and enough rescuers and cops failed as they didn’t stop the clubs even as they saw them violating basic safety protocols. Hence, if I actually want to lodge a complaint of negligence, who all will I mention in it?” he asked.
Parents of both the teenagers said their sons had fallen in love with rowing. “Just as I have always encouraged his passions like painting, cooking and music, I appreciated it and encouraged him to carry on with it. But now, I am cursing myself for not being more vocal about maintenance of basic safety protocols at the club which they maintained before Covid,” said Chattopadhyay.
Parents of multiple rowing trainees TOI spoke to said there were more trainers and rescuers employed by the club authorities before Covid but their number dwindled since rowing resumed post relaxation of curbs. Some guardians said there were men with whistles patrolling the banks of Lake to flag off any warning sign, which has stopped now. The club authorities, however, said they still have enough manpower.
Kin of Pushan Sadhukhan, the other deceased teenager, said they were surprised how the club authorities claimed they were unaware about weather developments. “The school instructor, who was also supposed to be there, had no objection to it either,” said a family friend.
“There could have been more fatalities. My child was saved by God’s grace,” said Debarshi Chakraborty, father of a surviving student, Devanshh, who reached shore latching on to another boat.