Student drowns during Ganesh idol immersion in Belagavi

A 20-year-old student drowned during the immersion of a Ganesh idol at a tank in Macche village in Belagavi taluk on Friday evening, according to The Hindu. The student was identified as Vishwesh Naik, a B.Sc student. He entered the tank with friends during the immersion, but did not return to the bank with the others after the ritual.

A search operation began after information about the incident was received. Members of the Social Media Rescue Team worked with the State Disaster Response Force, Belagavi Rural police and Fire and Emergency Services personnel. The teams recovered Naik’s body after nearly 30 minutes of searching in the tank.

The report did not provide further details about the circumstances that led to his drowning. The incident occurred during Ganesh immersion festivities in the village. The Hindu reported that the death cast a pall of gloom over Macche.

No further information was provided in the source material about whether officials had issued safety instructions for the immersion or whether any inquiry was under way. Ganesh idol immersion involves taking idols to bodies of water as part of festival observances. In this case, the account records the death, the rescue response and the recovery of the student’s body but does not state whether anyone else was injured.