Boy, 6, dies after falling into borewell in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur
A six-year-old boy died after falling into a 100-foot-deep borewell at Khyala Bulanda village here on Sunday.
Rithik Roshan, son of a migrant labourer, fell into the borewell around 9 am and was taken out at 6.30pm. He was rushed to a government hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
Rithik’s death is a is a stark reminder of a similar shocking incident two years ago in Sangrur district where two-year-old Fatehvir Singh had died after he fell into a 150-foot-deep abandoned borewell.
Hoshiarpur deputy commissioner Sandeep Hans said the entire episode will be investigated as after the Sangrur incident it was decided that no borewell would be kept open in future. “Strict action will be taken,” he added. Rithik was playing in a field and he climbed a borewell shaft when some stray dogs started chasing him, said his mother. The nine-inch-wide borewell shaft was covered with a jute bag and could not withstand the weight of the boy and gave in, causing him to fall into the borewell.
Villagers and volunteers of NGO Baba Deep Singh Sewa Dal were the first to arrive at the mishap site and tried to save the child by dropping in a rope but to no avail. They also arranged oxygen cylinders and JCBs before the arrival of civil and police officials.
Armymen from Uchchi Bassi military camp and NDRF team from Pathankot started the rescue operation in the afternoon. A number of attempts were made to pull the child out by clamping him but they did not yield any result. Simultaneously, JCBs were pressed into service to dig a parallel tunnel.
A camera was put inside the borewell to monitor the boy’s condition, said the officials, adding that high flow oxygen was also provided through pipes.
Senior medical officer of local government hospital Dr Sunil Bhagat said the body had turned blue and was stiff when it was brought to the hospital. However, doctors made resuscitation for more than half an hour and also administered a number of life-saving injections to him, but all their efforts were in vain.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann expressed grief over the death. The government has announced a ₹2 lakh ex gratia to the boy’s family.
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