On a picnic, three friends drown in Tungareshwar lake

For 40-year-old Sunanda Waghmare, death of her 17-year-old son  Mayur could not have come on a worse day. Sunday is the day on which she fasts for her children.

“In fact, this Sunday, before leaving for his trip, Mayur gave me Rs50 to buy some fast food. I had asked him to come out with me instead of going with his friends,” sobbed Sunanada.

Mayur and his friends Abhishek More, 21, Sonu Kanojia, 18, drowned in a lake near Tungareshwar on Sunday morning. All of them distributed newspapers in the morning in the Kherwadi area and then went for their studies.  

“He wanted to be a civil engineer. Despite scoring 69% in Class 12, he could not pursue his studies further as we needed to shell out a lot for donation,” added Sunanda, a warden in a municipal hospital. 

Mayur died trying to save Abhishek, who dived in to save a drowning Sonu.  

Sonu had wanted to become a chartered accountant. “He was studious. We were putting together money to give him good education,” said Om Prakash Kanojia, Sonu’s father and a painter. 

None of the three friends knew how to swim.

“After Sonu, when Abhishek too did not reappear from the waters, we realised they were not kidding,” said Sanjay Mohite, who was present during the incident. 

“Abhishek was very cordial, carefree and temperamental. But he was caring,” said Milind More, a cousin who was very close to him. 

Friends now intend to put up a video they took of the incident on the Internet so that others can take lessons from it and avoid such tragedies.

The Manikpur police have lodged a case of accidental death.

“The government should do something to prohibit people from going to such areas or post guards there,” said Babasaheb Waghmare, Mayur’s uncle. 
(With inputs from Sudhanshu Athalye)