By Aditi Mishra
Sukanthini Subbiah, a 48-year-old physician, has been charged with first- degree aggravated manslaughter after she failed to save 7-year-old child, Khushil Bandi, from drowning at a community swimming pool in Orlando, Florida. After examining camera footage, police alleged that the child was suffering in the water for several minutes while Subbiah, who was assigned to guide him, failed to rescue him. The incident took place on April 10.
A seven-year-old child, Khushil Bandi, went to the community swimming pool at the Everbe Community in Orlando, Florida, on April 10. He accompanied his twin sister and Sukanthini Subbiah’s son. Subbiah, a 48-year-old woman who is a physician from Louisiana, was reportedly responsible for keeping an eye on the children.
After examining the surveillance footage, police stated that before sinking, Khushil was struggling in the water around 6:21 PM for several minutes. Investigators alleged that Subbiah first asked the other children who were present there to help Khushil, but they were unable to retrieve him. Khushil was later rushed to the hospital in critical condition. According to the medical reports, he suffered brain swelling, seizures and loss of brain activity following the drowning. On April 17, he was pronounced dead and taken off life support.
According to the arrest report, surveillance footage revealed that Subbiah allegedly failed to rescue him immediately as Khushil struggled in the pool. Investigators stated that she initially insisted other children retrieve him instead of attempting to save the boy herself. Later, another adult eventually jumped in the pool and pulled the boy out from the water after he had been submerged for more than seven minutes. Police alleged that the delay in saving him led to oxygen deprivation and described Subbiah’s conduct as criminal negligence.
The arrest report stated:
"Her failure to do so allowed the decedent’s submersion and oxygen deprivation to continue until another adult ultimately performed the rescue she had failed to undertake.”
After the investigation was completed, police charged Subbiah with first-degree aggravated manslaughter of a child, alleging that her failure to rescue the child while he was drowning compromised the life of the seven-year-old child. Under Florida Law, aggravated manslaughter of a child is a first-degree offence when a child's death is caused by culpable incompetence.
Subbiah was arrested and booked into Orange County Jail. According to the reports, she could serve 30 years in prison if convicted, but her defence lawyer, Rajan Joshi, had disputed the allegations imposed on her of criminal liability and said he plans to contest the charge in court.
Accidents do happen every day. We don’t see criminal liability in this case.Rajan Joshi, Criminal Defence Attorney
He also described Subbiah as someone who has spent her life saving people's lives and defended her, saying that she has no previous criminal record. The case remains open before the court for further proceedings, and the allegations against Subbiah have not been proven yet.
(Rh/AM)