Child rights panel orders probe into Kochi apartment pool drowning
Kerala child rights panel directs police to probe the August 17 drowning of a six-year-old boy in a Kaloor apartment pool, citing safety lapses.
The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has directed the police to carry out a detailed investigation into the drowning of a six-year-old boy in the swimming pool of an apartment complex at Kaloor in Kochi on August 17.
The direction followed a visit by the Commission to the pool and its surroundings on Monday. In a preliminary assessment, the panel found lapses on the part of the apartment owners' association, which had maintained a swimming pool close to a children's play area without sufficient safety arrangements.
The Commission observed that treating the incident only as a fatal accident would convey a wrong message to society. It said rigorous inspections were needed to check whether comparable conditions prevailed in other residential complexes across the State.
During the visit, the panel also met the boy's family and briefed them on the legal steps available in the case. It instructed officials to extend the required psychosocial support to the family members and to children affected by the incident.
The Commission will hold an official hearing as part of its follow-up proceedings. Commission member K.K. Shaju was accompanied on the visit by Child Welfare Committee chairperson Ullas Madhu, committee member Jincymol Kurian, District Child Protection Officer Jayanthi P. Nair and Ernakulam Town North Station House Officer Manoj M.