IAS officer drowning: Ace swimmer jumped in pool to save lady colleague; family demands probe

Ashish Dahiya drowned while rescuing a lady colleague after she slipping into a swimming pool during a late night party. A native of Sonepat in Haryana, Dahiya had earlier served as a DSP in Himachal Pradesh police force. His family said that he was an ace swimmer who once swam across Bhakra Nangal dam in Himachal Pradesh.

The family of the 30-year-old IAS officer, Ashish Dahiya, who drowned while rescuing a lady colleague from drowning in the swimming pool of the Foreign Service Institute in Ber Sarai, has now asked for an inquiry into his death. The family said that the IAS officer was an ace swimmer.

A native of Sonepat in Haryana, Dahiya had earlier served as a DSP in Himachal Pradesh police force for over three years, however, he wanted to serve as an IAS officer. The family reportedly has said that Ashish Dahiya was an ace swimmer who once swam across Bhakra Nangal dam in Himachal Pradesh, according to Hindustan Times report.

The deceased, Ashish Dahiya, was attending a pool-side party with friends from the Indian foreign and revenue services, the police told PTI. The incident took place at 1 am on 30 May.

During the party, they decided to go for a swim in the pool located at the club. Police suspect they had consumed alcohol.

According to eyewitnesses, a lady officer accidentally fell into the pool and the officers, including Dahiya, jumped in to rescue her, police said. As the lady officer was safely pulled out, it was noticed that Ashish was missing. Later, he was found floating in the pool.

He was taken to a hospital where he died.