Kalimpong, July 5 : A 17-year-old boy from Sikkim drowned while swimming in the Ambiok Stream near Ambiok Bridge under Gorubathan Gram Panchayat-II on Saturday afternoon.
The deceased has been identified as Ashwin Chettri, a Sikkim resident, according to police reports. He arrived at Ambiok Tea Garden on Friday to visit relatives.
According to police, the incident happened around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday when Ashwin, along with three friends—two boys and a girl—went to the stream for a swim. During their outing, he entered a deep water pit formed during bridge construction. A private contractor working for GREF is managing the bridge project. Excavation for the project resulted in a large pit that was filled with water, where Ashwin suddenly drowned.
His friends tried to rescue him but could not succeed. Local residents rushed to the scene after receiving information about the incident and managed to pull him out of the water. Unfortunately, he had already drowned by the time they retrieved him.
A team from Gorubathan Police Station arrived soon after, took custody of the body, and began an investigation into the incident.
Police sources said the body will be sent to Kalimpong District Hospital on Sunday morning for a post-mortem examination. After the autopsy, the body will be returned to the family. Following the tragedy, Ashwin’s relatives traveled from Sikkim to Gorubathan.
After the incident, local resident Sajit Rai and Gorubathan Gram Panchayat-II Pradhan Renu Tamang alleged that the tragedy stemmed from serious negligence by the bridge construction company and GREF.
They argued that two deep pits were created in the stream during construction, which later filled with water and turned into dangerous pools. Despite the clear risk, they claimed no safety barriers, warning signs, or security personnel were present at the site.
They noted that the lack of basic safety measures puts local residents, especially schoolchildren and young people, at constant risk.
Pradhan Renu Tamang stated that the incident occurred within her panchayat jurisdiction and called the loss of the young life unacceptable.
“An innocent teenager has lost his life due to the negligence of the construction company and the concerned department. We will take all necessary legal action against those responsible,” she said.
Local residents mentioned that similar dangerous incidents had happened at the same location in the past. They have demanded that authorities take immediate steps to strengthen safety measures at the construction site. This includes fencing off dangerous areas, installing clear warning signs, and ensuring proper safety arrangements to prevent further tragedies.
Report by Raju Bhandari
