Girl drowns in a tank at Kandivli

A three-year-old girl drowned on Tuesday in the water tank of a temple in Kandivli. Police said the deceased, Priyanka Makardhwaj Gupta, a resident of Ashok Nagar in Kandivli (East), had gone to the temple along with her parents. While her parents went inside the temple to pray, she started playing with other children near the water tank.

“The tank was open and she slipped into the tank. Nobody saw her falling into it. When her parents finished the prayer, they returned home. After a few hours, they realised that Priyanka was not around. When they did not find her in the neighbourhood, they filed a police complaint,” said senior inspector Anant Kenjale of the Samta Nagar police station.

Around 1pm, when a temple worker went near the tank, he saw a body floating on the water. When she was pulled out, people recognised her and informed her parents, said Kenjale. The girl was rushed to the hospital, where doctors said she had died.

“We have registered a case of accidental death and further investigations are going on. We will probe whether there is any negligence on the part of the temple authorities,” Kenjale said.