Mysore/Mysuru: Three nursing students, who had come on a picnic to KRS backwaters at Meenakshipura, were drowned in the river yesterday afternoon.

The deceased have been identified as Prashanth (21), a resident of Anivalu village in Periyapatna taluk, Siddesh (22), a resident of Santhemarahalli in Yelandur taluk of Chamarajanagar district and Krishna (21), a resident of Koppal district. They were pursuing their nursing course at Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS).

On Sunday morning, six nursing students in three bikes came on a picnic to the backwaters at Meenakshipura in Mysuru taluk. At about 2 pm, five students ventured into the waters for a swim while one student stood on the banks.

After sometime, the five swimming students were caught in the strong current force and began to drown during which the student who was standing on the river banks jumped into the river and rescued two of them. By the time the locals and tourists rushed for the help, the other three students had drowned,  said eye witnesses.

Yelwal Sub-Inspector Mahendra and staff, who reached the spot, conducted an inspection and summoned expert divers and Fire & Emergency Services personnel, who after conducting a search operation for over two hours, fished out the three bodies.

The Police, after conducting mahazar, shifted the bodies to MMC&RI mortuary for post-mortem and informed the parents of the three deceased students, who arrived at the mortuary in the evening.

Post-mortem was conducted this morning and the bodies were handed over to the family members.  

Yelwal Police, who have registered a case, are investigating.

Strict enforcement of rules needed to prevent such incidents

Though such drowning incidents are frequently taking place in KRS backwaters, the Police are not enforcing the rules strictly which is resulting in numerous tourists thronging KRS backwaters and venturing into the waters.

The once- serene KRS backwaters near Meenakshipura in Yelwal hobli, a popular getaway in the Old Mysuru region, is now facing rampant environmental degradation, driven by unchecked tourism and brazenly irresponsible visitor behaviour.

Star of Mysore had published a news item titled ‘KRS Backwaters… Trashed’ (dated July 7, 2025) highlighting the menace of visitors at  the backwaters.

Taking note of the news item, Yelwal Police rushed to the spot and took a few people into custody but failed to take preventive steps which led to the drowning of the three nursing students yesterday.

Continuous rains in the Cauvery (Kaveri) basin have further swelled the Reservoir, with its backwaters now submerging nearby areas and transforming them into scenic — but misused — picnic zones.

Many, who consume liquor, venture into the waters carelessly and are getting drowned.

Adding to the crisis is the mushrooming of illegal resorts in the vicinity of the backwaters, with many operating without environmental clearances from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB). Despite repeated complaints, authorities have failed to act, accused many localites.