Navodaya Vidyalaya student's body found in Ujjain pond, classmate still missing
Synopsis
A 15-year-old Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya student's body was pulled from a pond near the Ujjain campus on Tuesday morning, hours after he and a 14-year-old classmate slipped out of the hostel undetected at night. One student found dead, one still missing — and serious questions now hang over the school's overnight security.
Key Takeaways
Pragyan Vimal , 15 , a Class 10 student of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Ujjain , was found dead in a pond near the school on 14 July .
Roshan Baretha , 14 , a Class 9 student, remained missing as of Tuesday afternoon.
Both students were last seen at the hostel late Monday night ; their absence was discovered during a routine night attendance check.
SDRF teams, local police, and divers continued searching the pond and surrounding areas for the missing student.
Post-mortem examination ordered; police said the cause of death will be confirmed after the report is received.
Authorities have warned of legal action against school management if negligence in hostel supervision is established.
The body of Pragyan Vimal, a 15-year-old Class 10 student of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, was recovered from a pond near the school campus in Ujjain district, Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday, 14 July, while a search operation for a second missing student continued through the day, according to police. Roshan Baretha, 14, a Class 9 student at the same residential school, remained untraced as of Tuesday afternoon.
How the students went missing
Both students were last seen at the school's hostel, located in the Ghattia police station area, late on Monday night. The school administration discovered their absence during a routine night attendance check and immediately alerted the police. A team was dispatched to the campus and a search operation was launched without delay.
Authorities reviewed CCTV footage and questioned other students, but the boys could not be located through the night. The exact sequence of events leading to their disappearance remained unclear pending investigation.
Body recovered from agricultural pond
At around 6 am on Tuesday, local residents spotted a body floating in a water-filled agricultural pit near the school boundary and alerted authorities. Police, with the assistance of villagers, retrieved the body, which was subsequently identified as that of Pragyan Vimal.
The body was sent to the district hospital for a post-mortem examination and a case was formally registered. Officials said the exact cause of death would be confirmed only after the post-mortem report is received.
Search for second student ongoing
Teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), local police, and divers were deployed to search the pond and surrounding areas for Roshan Baretha. Ghattia police station in-charge Karan Khowal told reporters: 'The search for the second student is continuing with the help of SDRF personnel and local divers. Further action will be taken on the basis of the post-mortem report and investigation. If any negligence on the part of the school management is found, legal action will be taken against those responsible.'
Questions over hostel security
The incident has drawn sharp scrutiny over security arrangements at the fully residential institution. Family members and local residents have alleged lapses in hostel supervision and night security, raising broader concerns about the safety protocols in place at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas — centrally administered schools that house students from rural and semi-urban backgrounds away from their families.
This comes amid recurring concerns about the adequacy of overnight monitoring at residential schools across India. Investigations into potential negligence by the school management are underway, and authorities have indicated that legal action will follow if lapses are established.
Point of View
Housing children from rural families far from home, demands rigorous overnight security that this case suggests was absent. The fact that two minors could leave a fully residential campus undetected at night, with CCTV footage only examined after the fact, points to a systemic failure rather than a one-off lapse. Centrally administered residential schools carry a duty-of-care that goes beyond classroom instruction, and the Ujjain case will test whether accountability mechanisms exist to enforce it. If the post-mortem and investigation confirm negligence, the pressure on school management — and the Ministry of Education — to overhaul night supervision protocols will be difficult to ignore.
NationPress
14 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Pragyan Vimal and what happened to him?
Pragyan Vimal was a 15-year-old Class 10 student at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. His body was recovered from a water-filled agricultural pond near the school campus on the morning of 14 July, hours after he went missing from the hostel along with a classmate.
Who is the second missing student?
The second student is Roshan Baretha, 14, a Class 9 student at the same school. He was reported missing along with Pragyan Vimal after both were found absent during a night attendance check on Monday. He remained untraced as of Tuesday afternoon, with SDRF teams and divers continuing the search.
How did the students go missing from the hostel?
Both students disappeared from the residential school's hostel in the Ghattia police station area late on Monday night. The school discovered their absence during a routine night attendance check and informed the police. CCTV footage was reviewed and fellow students were questioned, but the boys could not be located overnight.
What is the cause of death of Pragyan Vimal?
The exact cause of death has not yet been determined. Police sent the body to the district hospital for a post-mortem examination, and officials said the findings will only be confirmed after the report is received.
Could the school management face legal action?
Yes, according to Ghattia police station in-charge Karan Khowal, legal action will be taken against those responsible if any negligence on the part of the school management is established. Investigations into hostel supervision and night security lapses are currently underway.
