Holiday Ends in Tragedy in Hassan: 12-Year-Old Bengaluru Girl Drowns in Resort Pool, Parents Awarded INR 10 Lakh Compensation
A family holiday ended in tragedy for a Bengaluru couple when their 12-year-old daughter drowned in an unsupervised swimming pool at a resort in Hassan district. The incident, which occurred on May 28, 2023, took place at Dwarasamudra Resort near Belur.
Hassan, July 20: A family holiday ended in tragedy for a Bengaluru couple when their 12-year-old daughter drowned in an unsupervised swimming pool at a resort in Hassan district. The incident, which occurred on May 28, 2023, took place at Dwarasamudra Resort near Belur. Holding the resort guilty of negligence and deficiency in service, the Bengaluru Urban II additional district consumer disputes redressal commission has directed the proprietors to pay INR 10 lakh in compensation along with 6% annual interest to the grieving parents.
Dhanaraj, a software engineer, and his wife Veena, residents of Doddakallasandra, had taken their daughter Kushi, a class 6 student, for a weekend holiday, joined by Veena’s sister Deepa and her two children. While the adults were at the resort’s restaurant, the children went to play near the swimming pool—unknown to the parents and reportedly unsupervised. Moments later, Deepa’s daughter came running back, wet and terrified, alerting them to the incident. Agra: 6 Girls Drown While Bathing in Yamuna River in UP’s Sikandra, Probe On (Watch Video).
Rushing to the pool, the couple found their daughter Kushi unconscious and nephew Ricky Roy drowning. Both children were rushed to a hospital 10 km away, where Kushi was declared dead; Ricky survived. A police complaint was registered at Arehalli station, and the postmortem confirmed death due to asphyxia from drowning. Reels Craze Turns Fatal in Uttarkashi: Woman Drowns in Ganga While Filming Social Media Reel at Manikarnika Ghat; Video of Tragic Incident Surfaces.
The couple later filed a consumer complaint, citing lack of lifeguard, safety signage, or medical assistance. The resort’s proprietors, CR Vijaya Keshava and CV Apurva, claimed they were mere tenants. However, court records revealed they had constructed and operated the pool and continued to manage the resort.
The consumer commission observed that the resort was operating without a valid trade license and that the swimming pool had been built in violation of safety regulations. The proprietors failed to contest the allegations or submit a written defence. The commission concluded that basic precautions could have averted the tragedy and labeled the negligence as gross deficiency in service. On July 3, it ordered the proprietors to compensate the couple with INR 10 lakh and interest, setting a precedent for accountability in hospitality safety standards.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 20, 2025 04:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).