By News18
A 17-year-old boy from from Maharashtra鈥檚 Bhandara district drowned while attempting to shoot a reel for social media, as his friends, unaware of the danger, continued recording the incident, mistaking his distress for acting. The tragedy unfolded in the Chulhad farmland area under the jurisdiction of the Adyal police station in Pawani taluka on Sunday evening. The victim has been identified as Tirthraj Barsagade, a resident of Sonegaon, who was known among his peers for his enthusiasm for creating video content and sharing it online.
According to local reports, Tirthraj had planned to film a reel while swimming in a large, water-filled pit located in the farmland. Before entering the water, he handed his mobile phone to his friends, instructing them to shoot the video from the other side. However, once he jumped into the pit, he struggled to stay afloat, having misjudged the depth and danger of the water body. As he flailed and cried out for help, his friends assumed it was a staged act meant to dramatise the reel鈥攁nd continued filming.
Despite his desperate attempts to stay above water, no help came. By the time the gravity of the situation became apparent to his friends, it was too late as Tirthraj had drowned. The entire ordeal was inadvertently captured on their mobile phones. Authorities were informed shortly thereafter, and a police team from Adyal station rushed to the scene. His body was recovered and sent for post-mortem examination.
The preliminary police report confirms that Tirthraj died due to drowning while attempting to create content for social media. Officers at Adyal police station have launched a full investigation into the incident. The tragic episode has cast a spotlight on the growing obsession with social media validation among teenagers and the life-threatening risks they sometimes take in pursuit of viral fame.