Five members of Winners Academy in Alandi have been booked for alleged negligence after eight Class XI students drowned during an educational trip to Diveagar beach in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, according to a complaint registered at Dighi Marine police station.
The accused have been identified as academy founder and teacher Amar Gotiram Adak, 29, Mrunal Suresh Narkhede, 30, Saba Mehboob Inamdar, 27, Shilpa Amar Adak, 27, and Vaishnavi Mrunal Narkhede, 28. All five are residents of Alandi Devachi in Khed taluka of Pune district.
The case was registered following a complaint by Yuvraj Babanrao Vahile, 42, a resident of Kelgaon in Khed taluka. According to the complaint, the students had been told they would be taken on an educational trip to Raigad Fort and Shrivardhan beach. The complaint alleges that the trip arrangements changed and that the group was instead taken to an isolated stretch of Diveagar beach.
The complaint further stated that the ropeway at Raigad Fort was not operating, but the students were allegedly charged for the facility and taken to the fort using the steps. It also alleged that the trip was not planned adequately for the students’ safety.
According to the complaint, the accused knew that the students could not swim but did not provide safety equipment. The students were allegedly allowed to enter the sea to play, while members of the academy also went into the water. The complaint stated that the group was unable to assess the sea conditions, resulting in the drowning of eight students, including the complainant’s son.
The case places attention on the responsibilities of educational institutions and private coaching or training academies when organising trips outside their usual premises. The account recorded in the complaint raises questions about destination changes, supervision, safety equipment and whether the risks of entering the sea were assessed before students were allowed into the water. These issues will form part of the police investigation and have not been established as final findings at this stage.
The police action also follows a wider pattern of student excursions involving travel across district boundaries, multiple destinations and activities in environments such as beaches, forts and other public attractions. Such trips require coordination between organisers, transport providers, venue authorities and local enforcement agencies, although the supplied report does not detail the academy’s internal permissions or safety procedures.
Assistant police inspector Santosh Awati of Dighi Marine police station is conducting further investigations. The report does not provide details of the sections of law applied, the date of the drowning incident, or any subsequent statements from the academy members or their representatives. The investigation will determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the alleged failures in planning and supervision.
