Pictures by Debobrata Shome
Ghosh’s death was eerily similar to that of a 19-year-old trained swimmer at Chetla Agrani Club in June. Medical experts suggested the possibility of shallow water blackout (hypoxic blackout) — a sudden loss of consciousness underwater due to an oxygen imbalance that can affect even fit and trained swimmers.
Prabir Dey, Sarit’s uncle, said they had already submitted a letter of complaint to the police, demanding a thorough and impartial inquiry into the circumstances leading to his death and whether there had been any delay in pulling him out of the water. Cops said they had collected CCTV footage from the swimming pool and questioned all six trainers. “We are examining CCTV footage and questioning the trainers to establish exactly when Sarit entered the water, when he lost consciousness and how long he remained submerged before being rescued,” a Kolkata Police officer said.
Ghosh was a Class XI student of Sri Sri Academy and the only child of his parents. His mother is a senior researcher at Zoological Survey of India while his father works at West Bengal Biodiversity Board. Police are awaiting a detailed postmortem report. Following the incident, police shut down the club.
I have no clue how he can die such a tragic death doing what he loved most,” said Soumendra Mohan Ghosh, Sarit’s father. An unnatural death case has been registered and a probe has begun based on a complaint filed by his family members. “My son was an experienced swimmer. He had been swimming for eight years.