VALPOI
Two tour guides have been arrested and four teachers booked in connection with the drowning of Rahul Bind, a 16-year-old Class 11 student of Deepvihar Higher Secondary School in Vasco, during a school trek at the Tonir-Kajredhat Waterfall in Savarde-Sattari on Friday.
According to Valpoi police, the two arrested tour guides have been identified as Aditya Dalvi of Shetyewado-Mapusa and Manjunath Yammiyar of Duler-Mapusa, while the teachers who have been booked are Nidhi Shirlekar, Vidya Gawde, Blanche Fernandes and Yeshwant Kankonkar.
Police said both tour guides have been taken into police custody, and an investigation into the role of the teachers named in the complaint is in progress. Police sources said that if negligence is established during the investigation, arrests of the teachers cannot be ruled out.
Police enquiries have revealed that 23 students, four teachers, and two tour guides had visited the prohibited Tonir Waterfall when the tragedy took place.
Sattari Deputy Collector and Sub-Divisional Magistrate Laxmikant Kuttikar has lodged an official complaint at the Valpoi police station, accusing four teachers from Deepvihar Higher Secondary School, Vasco, and two tour guides of violating the District Collector’s prohibitory order, endangering the lives of students, and causing the death of a student through negligence.
The police complaint alleges that the teachers and tour guides did not obtain any permission from government authorities.
According to the complaint, the North Goa District Collector, through an order dated June 29, issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, had prohibited entry, swimming, and bathing in all waterfalls, rivers, lakes, abandoned quarries, and other natural water bodies across the North Goa district.
The order was issued in view of the increasing number of monsoon-related accidents and had been widely publicised through various government departments and public awareness campaigns.
Despite being aware of the district collector's prohibitory order, the accused allegedly took the students to the restricted Tonir Waterfall.
Acting swiftly, Valpoi Police arrested the two tour guides, while proceedings against the teachers concerned are also underway, as investigations are in progress.
The incident has triggered widespread outrage across Goa and raised serious concerns about the safety protocols followed during educational excursions.
Following the incident, the district administration has urged all educational institutions, colleges, tour operators, and tourism groups to strictly adhere to safety regulations.
The administration has warned that teachers, institutional heads, organisers, and tour operators who violate the District Collector’s prohibitory order and take students or tourists to hazardous natural locations will face criminal prosecution and stringent legal action.
