Nagpur: Teen drowns in pit dug for railway work

NAGPUR: Sudhir Meshram, 16, a student of Std X, drowned in a water-filled pit dug up for railway-related work at Bhandewadi on Friday. Three others with him managed to swim back to safety. Cops had a hard time controlling an angry mob after the incident.
On July 28, a 12-year-old biy had drowned in a similar manner at a pit dug for railway work near Dipti Signal in Kalamna police area. Cops are yet to register an offence.
Police said Meshram had swum for sometime in the pit before he became untraceable. “We feel he must have got stuck in the muck at the bottom of this pit,” said senior inspector Ashalata Khapre of Wathoda police station.
It’s learnt, the pit had been lying unguarded, had no warning signboards or barricades. While cops said the pit was dug for some railway work, sources in South Eastern Central Railway said they had nothing to do with the project.
Expert divers along with the fire bridge personnel fished out the body after an effort of three hours. Accidental death was registered at Wathoda police station.