SUST student dies after drowning in Sylhet swimming pool

A student of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) died after drowning in a swimming pool in Sylhet city on Wednesday afternoon (September 16).

The deceased was identified as Dipanjan Ghosh Priyam, 21, a student of the 2024-25 academic session. His family lives in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur, while he had been staying at a rented mess in the Surma residential area near the university.

The incident took place around 5:45pm at Britannia Swimming Pool on Airport Road in the Chawkidighi area.

According to classmates and witnesses, Priyam went to the pool with friends and entered the water around 5pm. At one point, he moved into a section about nine feet deep. Pool staff later found him unconscious in the deep water and pulled him out.

He was rushed to a private hospital in the Dargah Gate area, where doctors declared him dead after an ECG examination in the intensive care unit.

Britannia Swimming Pool instructor Amirul Islam said swimmers who are not proficient are not allowed to enter water deeper than six feet. He said Priyam had apparently entered the nine-foot section unintentionally and was later rescued by a staff member.

SUST Proctor Prof Dr Md Muklesur Rahman expressed condolences and said the university had informed Priyam’s family. The body has been kept at the morgue of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital.

The university will examine whether there was any negligence or lack of supervision by the pool authorities, he said, adding that legal action would be taken if any lapse is found.

Sylhet Airport Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Abdus Salam said police were aware of the incident and that necessary legal procedures were underway.