Aurangabad: Three youths in Jalna drowned on Sunday evening taking part in the Ganesh immersion procession on Sunday at the Moti Talab, a water tank that is near a garden of the same name.The deaths were reported as two separate incidents. The young men were pulled out of the water and taken to hospital, where doctors declared them ‘brought dead’.As reports of the deaths spread in the small steel town, there was a tension in the air. Police were on high alert and prevented it from becoming a law and order situation.The deceased youth were identified as Nihal Khushal Choudhari (26) and Shekhar Madhukar Bhadnekar (18) and Amol Santosh Ranmule (17).The first incident was reported around 5.30 pm on Sunday, when Nihal and Shekhar, who climbed on the huge idol from the back, could not escape as the idol was immersed and drowned. The two were found motionless in the water.An hour later, Amol who was accompanying the Ganesh mandal from the area he resided, got into water for immersing the idol. He failed to estimate the depth of the water and was unable to cope with how deep the water was. He too drowned.Jalna superintendent of police S Chaitanya told TOI that three deaths had been reported in two incidents on Sunday. Cases of accidental drowning have been registered and a probe is on.On Monday morning, after the autopsies were performed, the bodies were taken to the municipal council, where relatives demanded registration of offence against the civic body chief. The kin sought compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to families of the dead. Bodies were taken away for final rites after elected representatives assured the protesters that their demands would be looked into. Meanwhile, state minister Arjunrao Khotkar has written to the chief minister demanding compensation of Rs 15 lakh to each of the three families.

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