Vaikom: Bipin, a 31-year-old who was returning to office after completing fieldwork, heard a commotion near the pond. Without switching off his two-wheeler, he quickly parked it on the stand and rushed. Realising that someone was drowning, he removed his clothes, placed the file he was carrying on the bike, and jumped straight into the pond.

He managed to reach the drowning man, grabbed him by the hair, and pulled him safely to the shore. The rescued man was identified as KH Aneesh Kumar (36) from Thammanam, Palarivattom. Aneesh had already lost consciousness by the time Bipin brought him ashore. He regained consciousness after vomiting some water and was immediately shifted to Vaikom Taluk Hospital for further treatment.

The incident occurred around 6 pm on Monday. Aneesh had come to Udayanapuram to attend his paternal cousin’s housewarming ceremony. Later, he, along with two relatives from Ernakulam, decided to take a swim in the pond. While swimming back after reaching the opposite shore, Aneesh struggled over fatigued legs and began to sink mid-way.

Bipin Basil, originally from People's Nagar, Thiruvananthapuram, was a state champion swimmer in the sub-junior category while he was in 10th standard. his school days. He had previously worked in Thiruvananthapuram and joined Udayanapuram Panchayat as an overseer just a year ago.