By Chad Ingram

Published Sept. 6 2017

A Mississauga family is looking for answersafter Anand Baiju an 18-year-old civil engineering student from the Universityof Toronto died on Gull Lake on Tuesday afternoon.

“We are kept in the dark” Manoj RadhamniBaiju’s uncle told the Times . “We don’t knowwhat happened.”

Police were called to the University ofToronto survey camp located off Deep Bay Road at approximately 4:45 p.m. onSept. 4.

“We are assisting in a death investigation involving a maleparty” Sgt. Peter Leon provincial media relations co-ordinator for the OPPtold the Times . “He was involvedin an incident at the lake.”

Leon told the paper the male who’s sincebeen identified as Baiju became separated from a group he was with. His bodywas transported to the Minden hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Hisbody has since been transported to Toronto where the cause of death is beinginvestigated by the coroner's office.

“Right now we're assisting the coronerwith a death investigation” Leon said. He said police were also interviewingpeople who'd been at the scene of the incident.

According to Radhamni there were some 50engineering students at the camp for a two-day period. It was the beginning ofBaiju’s second year at the university.

Radhamni told the paper the family hasheard different stories anecdotally – that his nephew drowned that he slippedand hit his head – but they have not been given any firm answers.

There has also been no contact by theuniversity he said.

“There was no response from the school”Radhamni told the paper. “There was not even a courtesy phone call from theUniversity of Toronto.”

Radhamni said the family has manyquestions such as what kind of safety equipment was provided and if there wasa lifeguard on duty.

He said Baiju did not know how to swim andwas well aware of that limitation.

“There’s no chance he’d go into the deepside . . . he was a very obedient child” Radhamni said.

The Times left a voicemail and sent anemail to the University of Toronto media relations department asking forsomeone to get in touch with the paper to answer questions.

In response to the paper’s queries anemail from media relations staff directed the paper to a prepared statement onthe university’s website.

“The University of Toronto community ismourning the loss of an engineering student who died at a U of T camp nearMinden . . . on Tuesday afternoon” the statement reads. “The student was amonga group of students taking part in an engineering course. This week’sprogramming at the camp has been cancelled and the other students returnedTuesday night said Christina Amon dean of the Faculty of Applied Science& Engineering.

‘Today our attention must be with thoseaffected by this terrible tragedy’ she said in a message to engineeringstudents faculty and staff. ‘The thoughts of our entire community are with thefamily and friends of the student who died.’”

Radhamni told the paper the family has notruled out legal action against the school.

The University of Toronto has owned theproperty on Gull Lake for a century.