Jonha Falls where Abhishek Kumar drowned on Monday

A birthday party ended on a tragic note for a group of seven boys when one of them fell into a pool of water at Jonha Falls, about 40km from the Ranchi district headquarters, and drowned while playing volleyball on Monday.

Abhishek Kumar (17), a resident of Khagaria in Bihar, had come to Ranchi to gather information about engineering coaching institutes. The teenager had put up with six friends from Bihar, who are preparing for engineering entrance exam by staying at rented rooms at Ashok Nagar in Argora police station area.

Monday was the birthday of Basant, one of the six, and the boys decided to celebrate the day with a visit to the picturesque Jonha Falls.

“After reaching the falls, they started playing volleyball, but during the course of the game, the ball fell into a 10-feet deep water-filled ditch near the falls. Abhishek went to bring back the ball. Having no idea about the depth of water, he jumped into the pool. As he did not know swimming, he drowned. The incident occurred around 11am,” said officer-in-charge of Angara police station Jai Govind Prasad Gupta.

His friends rushed to his rescue, but could do nothing except inform police around 11.30am.

“We fished out the body with the help of local divers and sent it for post-mortem examination to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS),” Gupta added.

Apart from Basant, the other friends are Aditya, Somik, Anand, Ajit and Bihbut. All are engineering aspirants.

Argora police, who blamed the incident on extreme carelessness, have lodged a case of unnatural death.

“We are also questioning the boys who had accompanied the victim to know details about his background. Every information provided by them is being cross-checked. We will not be able to tell anything more till all facts are clear,” the OC added.

Jonha Falls is a famous tourist destination in the state capital. Here, Raru river drops from a height of 43 metres (141 feet) to give birth to one of the most beautiful spectacles. But like other water bodies, it is also a mishap zone.

In fact, drowning incidents at waterfalls are most common in Ranchi.

On June 4, two girls — Khim Kumari Thapa (18) and Sangeeta Kumari (19) — died at Hundru Falls in Sikidiri police station area. Residents of Sainik Colony in Dumardaga, the two had gone to the tourist destination with a friend, Nurul, when tragedy struck.

A murder case has been registered against Nurul.

The beautiful Dassam Falls is no less dangerous.