Bhatkal: In an incident reported from a resort near Jali Beach in Bhatkal, a five-year-old boy died of drowning after he accidentally fell into a swimming pool on Thursday evening.

The boy is identified as Mohammed Mustaqeem Sheikh, son of Moulvi Shahidullah, who is a teacher at the local Madrasa. Sheikh was studying in lower kindergarten at the Madrasa.

Family sources have said that Sheikh, who was staying in the resort with his mother and younger brother, slipped and fell into the five-foot deep swimming pool when his mother was not around. His mother is said to have rushed to the spot and got her son out of the waters. Youngsters who were near the resort tried to revive the boy with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and then took him to a private hospital nearby, but the doctors confirmed that Sheikh had died.

A post-mortem examination was conducted at the taluk government hospital after which, the body of the deceased boy was handed over to the family at 8 pm.

Sheikh’s teachers at the Madrasa and several others are learned to have visited the hospital and paid their condolence to the family.

The funeral rites of the boy completed at the Tanzeem Millia Masjid in the Nawayat Colony on the Thursday-Friday midnight.

Bhatkal Police have registered a case and an investigation is underway.

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Chennai (PTI): Before giving birth, she had already delivered a mandate—a symbol of hope for Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.

Echoing Delhi’s 2013 “common citizen” political churn associated with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an eight-month-pregnant homemaker, M R Pallavi, has been elected as an MLA from Chennai’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency, emerging as one of the notable first-time faces of the Vijay-led TVK in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

In the narrow lanes of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, a steady stream of media personnel has been making their way to Pallavi’s residence—a scene reminiscent of the result day in Delhi when journalists thronged the modest home of Rakhi Birla, who had won from Mangolpuri on an AAP ticket.

Pallavi, 36, a homemaker educated up to class XII, defeated the DMK candidate K S Ravichandran by a margin of 22,333 votes in the reserved Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Assembly constituency.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK got 59 and 47, respectively.

Pallavi’s victory has drawn attention due to her personal circumstances. She campaigned extensively while eight months pregnant, going door-to-door to reach voters.

According to local accounts, she even fainted once during the campaign but continued her outreach.

She has not spoken to the media following her victory, as doctors have advised her to rest. Her husband, Rajesh, briefly recounted her campaign efforts.

A self-professed admirer of actor-turned-politician Vijay, Pallavi joined TVK soon after its formation and is now among its first-time legislators.

Doctors have advised her to be hospitalised around May 20, as she is expecting her second child. Ahead of that, voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have entrusted her with representing them in the state Assembly.

Political observers say the rise of candidates like Pallavi signals a possible shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with voters backing a new party and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.