Hubballi Cop Murugesh Channannavar Swims 28 km Across Sea from Sri Lanka to Dhanushkodi

Hubballi, April 19: In an extraordinary display of endurance and national spirit, Murugesh Channannavar, Police Inspector at Hubballi Rural Police Station, and Aman Shanbhag, an MBBS student at KIMS Hubballi, have completed a daring 28-kilometer relay swim from Sri Lanka to Dhanushkodi, India, across the historic Ram Setu.

The relay team, aptly named Team Pride of India, included a remarkable lineup of individuals from across the country. Among them were IAS officers Abhinav Gopal (Uttar Pradesh) and Deepak (Haryana); para-athletes Rajbir (Haryana) and Prashant Karmakar (West Bengal)—the latter an Arjuna Awardee and decorated swimmer with medals in the Commonwealth and Asian Games. Other team members included Robin, a table tennis player from West Bengal, and 17-year-old Ishant Singh, the youngest swimmer from Haryana.

The team completed the grueling 28-km challenge in just 8 hours and 30 minutes, swimming through the choppy waters of the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal, braving unpredictable weather and strong waves. The event was officially permitted and recognized by the Swimming Federation of India (SFI), which appointed observer Mr. Vijayakumar to monitor the swim and validate timings.

For Inspector Channannavar, this feat adds to a growing list of adventurous accomplishments, including cycling from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and completing the Ironman challenge. He was inspired and supported on this journey by his wife, Shweta Channannavar, who accompanied him to Sri Lanka by boat.

Both Channannavar and Shanbhag are now setting their sights on an even more challenging mission—swimming the English Channel, a 36-kilometer stretch between England and France, this June. Their journey is a proud moment for Karnataka and a shining example of courage, discipline, and unity.