11-year-old boy dies as roof of his house collapses in Mohali

The incident occurred around midnight, when all the family members were asleep; neighbours rushed to the house after hearing a thud and rescued them from under debris

An 11-year-old boy died and five persons of his family were injured after the mud roof of their house collapsed in Dera Bassi’s Mirpur village on Saturday night. The boy has been identified as Harjit Kumar.

The mishap took place at Mirpur village in Mohali’s Dera Bassi subdivision.

According to police, the incident occurred around midnight, when all the family members were asleep. While Harjit was sleeping with his father Ram Kumar, 35, mother Geeta, 30, and two siblings, Amit and Adisha, in the room, his grandmother was sleeping outside the room.

Neighbours rushed to the house after hearing a thud. After rescuing the family from under two-foot-deep debris, the neighbours rushed them to the civil hospital in Dera Bassi. Doctors referred them to Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, where Harjit underwent an operation but could not survive.

“The house had a kacha roof, due to which it weakened and collapsed. The boy died due to suffocation after getting trapped under the debris. However, no one from the family sustained physical injuries. They have been discharged. The family has refused to get the boy’s postmortem conducted,” said Kuldeep Bawa, subdivisional magistrate, Dera Bassi.

Dera Bassi MLA and Shiromani Akali Dal leader NK Sharma visited the spot and demanded better housing for the poor. He alleged the state government has not released funds under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and sought full compensation and a government job for Harjit’s family.

Deepinder Singh Dhillon, Congress halqa incharge from Zirakpur, said the family will be given compensation from the chief minister’s relief fund at the earliest.