4-year-old girl dies after falling into open manhole in Palwal

Police said the girl may not have seen the open manhole because of a power outage when she fell into it outside her Gandhi Colony home.

A four-year-old girl was killed after she fell into an open manhole in front of her house in Palwal’s Gandhi Colony on Monday night, police said on Tuesday, adding that the incident appeared to have taken place during a power outage in the area.

The girl was rushed to Palwal Civil Hospital after being pulled from the sewer, but doctors declared her dead on arrival, police said. (HT)

Police said no case had been registered as the girl’s father, Bharat, told investigators that she had accidentally fallen into the open manhole. An inquiry under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) was conducted.

According to police, the girl, a lower kindergarten student at a private school in Palwal, went missing from her home around 8pm on Monday. Her family searched the house and, after failing to find her, alerted neighbours, who joined the search.

After nearly an hour without any success, some neighbours suggested checking the open manhole in front of the house. “The family checked the open sewer and found the girl inside. They immediately pulled her out and rushed her to Civil Hospital in Palwal but doctors declared her dead on arrival,” an officer said.

“It was dark when the incident took place as a power outage had occurred. The girl must have not been able to see the manhole in the dark and fell into it,” the officer added.

Police officials said prima facie the girl appeared to have suffered a serious head injury in the fall, which resulted in her death.

Devender Kumar, a resident of the area, said several other manholes in the locality were also uncovered. “There are several other manholes in the area which are uncovered. Authorities temporarily covered the manhole in which the child died after falling, on Tuesday,” he said.

Inspector Krishan Gopal, station house officer of Camp police station, said Bharat did not press any charges against anyone. “He gave a statement to police on Tuesday that his daughter accidentally fell into the open manhole. Thus, no FIR was registered and only inquiry under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita was carried out,” he said.

The girl’s body was handed over to her family after an autopsy on Tuesday, police said.