Class X boy drowns while filming reel, body found

Gorakhpur: A 16-year-old student of Class X drowned in a pond near Shiv Mandir at Bhauvapar under the Belipar police station area on Wednesday while making a social media reel with friends. His body was recovered by the State Disaster Response Force after a four-hour search operation, police said.Along with three friends, Shivam Gupta, resident of Bagahi village in Belipar, went on a motorcycle to the temple pond around 11.30 am. According to eyewitnesses, two of the boys entered the water for a bath while one guarded their belongings and anotherrecorded videos on a mobile phone. Shivam reportedly slipped into a deeper section of the pond and began drowning. A friend who was filming the reel noticed himstruggling and jumped into the water in an attempt to rescue him but failed to reach in time. As panic spread, the boys raised an alarm, prompting nearby people to rush to the spot and launch rescue efforts.On receiving information from the temple administration, Belipar police reached the scene and called in SDRF personnel and local divers. After nearly four hours of intensive search operations, the team recovered Shivam’s body from the pond.Police sent the body to BRD Medical College for post mortem. Elder of two brothers, Shivam, was a Class X student.