IIT ISM professor tragically loses life in swimming pool accident

• Assistant Professor Dr. Yashwanth Gujajal of IIT ISM Dhanbad drowned during a morning swim with colleagues
• Efforts were made to rescue him but he was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital
• The cause of death is believed to be drowning pending the post-mortem report

Dr Yashwanth Gujajal, Assistant Professor, Department of Mining Engineering, IIT Indian School of Mines (ISM) Dhanbad, drowned in the institution's swimming pool on Tuesday morning.

The official said that Dr. Yashwanth along with some colleagues were swimming in the campus pool at around 6.15 am. A fellow eyewitness said he jumped into the pool but didn't come out.

His colleagues noticed this and immediately fished him out of the water. He was admitted to IIT ISM Medical Center. The director of IIT ISM prof. Rajiv Shekhar, Deputy Director Prof. Dhiraj Kumar and other senior leaders.

Doctors sent him to Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) where doctors declared him brought dead. The official said prima facie the death appears to be due to drowning. "The real reason for this will be clear in the post mortem report," he added.The official said that Dr Yashwanth Gujjal joined IIT ISM Dhanbad in January 2023.

The official said that after the death of Professor Gujjala, all official functions in IIT ISM including the program of Union Education Minister Annapurna Devi have been cancelled.

Dr Gujjala was a resident of Howrah (West Bengal). He completed his BTech from Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) Shibpur, Howrah in 2009 and MTech in 2014. He completed his PhD from IIT Kharagpur in 2021. He also worked as a shift engineer in Hindustan Zinc Limited Vedanta.