Vishwas first asked local divers to jump into the reservoir to find the device, claiming it contained sensitive government data. But after the initial efforts to retrieve his smartphone failed, he asked for the reservoir to be emptied using diesel pumps. In videos that went viral on social media, Vishwas is seen sitting under a red umbrella as diesel pumps run to drain water from the reservoir. Vishwas told local media the water in the reservoir was unusable for irrigation and that he had received permission from a senior official to drain it. Authorities later suspended Vishwas after he was widely criticized for wasting water resources.

Source: ABC News May 29, 2023 00:12 UTC