Three Kalyanpuri Youths Drown in East Delhi's Sanjay Jheel; Families Allege Negligence

Three 22-year-old youths from Kalyanpuri drowned in east Delhi's Sanjay Jheel on Tuesday evening during an outing, leading their families to allege that negligence by authorities caused the deaths.

The deceased have been identified as Ashish Nautiyal, Saurav, and Sahil. The three were childhood friends who had known each other since school and resided in the same Kalyanpuri neighbourhood. On Tuesday evening, an outing to the lake ended in tragedy when one of the youths entered the water to take a dip. The other two friends followed him into the lake in an apparent attempt to save him, but none of them survived.

In the wake of the drownings, the victims' families pointed to an absence of basic safety protocols at the public park. The area surrounding Sanjay Jheel was developed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). According to family members, there was no warning signage or physical barricading at the lake to alert visitors to the danger. Additionally, no security guards were stationed in the vicinity to monitor the perimeter or stop visitors from stepping into the water.

For Ashish Nautiyal’s family, the tragedy occurred just weeks before he was set to turn 23 in September. Ashish had been working with event management companies. His family is now preparing to take his body to Haridwar for his final rites rather than planning his upcoming birthday. Ashish’s father, Lakshmiprasad Nautiyal, said, “Had I known where he was going, I would have stopped him.”

The families questioned how an open water body could remain completely accessible without oversight. Saurav’s cousin, Hemant Kumar, expressed grief over the loss of his brother, stating, “My brother has gone today,” as relatives warned that without safety measures, others visiting the park remain at risk.