Ashwini Kedari, 30, from Pune's Khed Taluka, who had topped the MPSC’s state Police Sub Inspector (PSI) exam, has passed away after a tragic accident.
Kedari, a bright student with aspirations of becoming an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer, died after an 11-day battle for her life, succumbing to severe burns from a horrifying incident involving boiling water.
According to available information, Ashwini was born into a normal family. Growing up, her family's financial situation was not great, but it was sufficient, as they had modest needs. She wanted to serve as a District Collector by becoming an IAS officer.
In 2023, she took the PSI exam to serve in the Maharashtra Police and achieved remarkable success, coming first in the entire state of Maharashtra in that exam. She continued her efforts to achieve her dream of becoming a collector and was preparing for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
On the night of 28th August, the tragedy happened. Around 10 PM, Ashwini had placed water in a plastic drum and began heating it with an electric heater. However, she forgot she had put the water on to heat and fell asleep.
The water, however, continued heating. After around five hours, Ashwini woke up due to a smell and some noise. She witnessed something horrific: the water was boiling, and the plastic drum had started melting from the heat.
In a moment of panic, she turned off the electric heater and started emptying the hot water from the heavy drum with a mug. However, in her desperation and panic, the extremely hot water from the mug fell on her foot, causing her to stumble, lose balance, and fall on the ground.
Unfortunately, the drum got pushed and toppled on her, and the whole tank of hot water fell on her.
Senior Police Inspector Digambar Suryawanshi, in charge of the Mahalunge MIDC Police Station, under whose jurisdiction Palu Village falls, confirmed the incident.
"She sustained 80% burns on her hands, legs, and stomach due to the extremely hot water. After initial treatment at a private hospital in Moshi, she was admitted to another private hospital in Pimpri," Suryawanshi said.
Police informed that she was being treated in the burn unit and had been fighting for her life for 11 days. However, tragedy struck the Kedari family, the whole Khed Taluka, and aspirants of competitive exams as doctors declared her dead at 11 AM on Sunday.
According to medical reports, the exact reason behind her death was that the burns led to sepsis (blood infection), which caused her death.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, in charge of Zone Three of Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissionerate, Bapu Bangar, expressed his condolences over the incident. "Ashwini Kedari has died during treatment. A case of accidental death has been registered at the Mahalunge MIDC Police Station in this regard," Bangar said.
