Dharwad, September 15, 2013: In a tragic incident that followed the Ganesh idol immersion ceremony, two children died after falling into a pond created to immerse idols, in Gandhi Nagar here on Saturday.

The deceased are Prajwal Mulagund (7) and his brother Nagaraj Mulagund (6). The Gajanan Yuvak Mandal had dug a pond for immersion of idols. Nearly 120 idols were immersed on Friday night. The pond was covered with plastic sheets after the immersion was completed. But on Saturday morning, the children entered the pond out of curiosity. They slipped further into it and drowned. The police fished out their bodies.

Their father, Prakash Mulagund, works as an autorickshaw driver. The tragedy has shattered the dreams of a father to see his sons well-educated and leading successful lives. The elder son, Prajwal, was studying in the first standard, and the younger was in pre-primary school. Mr. Mulagund wanted his sons to become engineers. “They were the light of my life. Now they are gone, and life is dark for me,” he said. The mother, Saraswati, was shell-shocked and inconsolable.

A heart-wrenching scene prevailed at the Samudaya Bhavan in Gandhi Nagar where the pond was dug. Some residents alleged that the yuvak mandal authorities had ignored their suggestion against digging a pond near the Samudaya Bhavan. The mandal had failed to ensure proper security around the pond, they said. Social activists Manoj Karjagi, Gururaj Hunashimarad and others aided in the work.

A case was registered, and the bodies handed over to the family following post mortem.

Source: The Hindu, September 15, 2013