Three students from a religious mutt in Chennai tragically drowned while performing a sacred ritual at the Veeraraghava Perumal Temple in Tiruvallur during the Chithirai Brahmotsavam festival.

CHENNAI: At least three students from a religious mutt in Selaiyur, Chennai, drowned on Monday while performing a ritual at the Veeraraghava Perumal Temple in Tiruvallur, 60 km west of Chennai city. The mishap occurred during the ongoing Chithirai Brahmotsavam festival.
The students visited the temple to participate in religious recitations and observances. While performing Sandhyavandanam—a daily Vedic ritual considered a sacred duty among Dvija communities—near the temple pond, three of them reportedly slipped and fell into the water.
According to police sources, another student who witnessed the incident immediately raised an alarm. Locals rushed to the spot and attempted a rescue. Two of the students were declared dead at the scene, while the third succumbed to injuries while being transported to the hospital by ambulance. The deceased were identified as Hariharan, Venkatraman, and Veeraraghavan.
The Tiruvallur City Police retrieved the bodies with the help of the fire and rescue personnel and sent them to the Tiruvallur Govt Medical College Hospital for autopsy. A probe into the circumstances surrounding the incident is currently underway.
Earlier in April 2023, five young men drowned in a temple tank in Chennai during a Theerthavari festival after slipping into the deeper end. The incident occurred at the Dharmalingeshwarar Temple in Nanganallur, where a group of around 20 youngsters were participating in the ritual.