A 15-year-old Ranchi boy, who lied to his parents that he was going to school but instead landed up at Patratu Dam in neighbouring Ramgarh district for a swim with friends, drowned on Wednesday morning.
Aman Kumar, a resident of Harmu Housing Colony in Argora police station area of the state capital, was a Class XI student of Cambrian Public School. He was appearing for terminal exams but had a holiday on Wednesday.
But instead of being at home, he and his eight friends planned to visit Patratu Dam, around 40km from the district headquarters in Patratu police station area of Ramgarh.
He told his parents that he was going to school and even wore his uniform before leaving home around 8am.
"Aman left his house as he usually does around 8am. News came around noon that he drowned while bathing in Patratu Dam at 9am. The family is shattered," said a Harmu resident.
Officer-in-charge of Patratu police station Vishnu Deo Choudhary said the body had been fished out with the help of local divers and sent to Hazaribagh Sadar Hospital for post-mortem.
Asked how the teen drowned, another police officer said, "The boy did not know swimming and somehow ventured into deep waters."
While principal of Cambrian Public School Neeta Pandey expressed ignorance about the incident, vice-principal Shashi Bhushan Singh said: "We are conducting examinations for students of Classes XI and XII. Although students of Class XII appeared for exam today (Wednesday), it was a day off for eleventh graders. Aman might have gone to Patratu Dam."
Aman used to live with his father Manoj Kumar, a farmer, mother, two younger sisters and grandfather Ishwar Chand Yadav, who works as a clerk at Coal Mine Provident Fund office in Ranchi.
The family hails from Samastipur district of Bihar.
A neighbour, Roshan Kumar, recalled the boy as a "very social and well-behaved kid". "He used to respect elders and actively take part in any social function. We can't believe that he is no longer among us. What a tragedy!" Kumar said.
This is second incident of drowning of a school student within 10 days. On September 13, 18-year-old Kumar Saurabh drowned in Dassam Falls in Bundu, where he had gone to enjoy the birthday bash of a friend. The deceased was a Class XII student of DAV Alok, Pundag.
