Boy dies, two injured as tank made for Chhath puja collapses in outer Delhi

The tank was specially constructed for the nearby residents to perform Chhath pooja rituals. Witnesses told the police that suddenly one wall of the tank collapsed on the three children.

A three-and-a-half-year-old boy died while two others were injured when the wall of a concrete tank made for Chhath pooja collapsed on Tuesday afternoon in outer Delhi’s Ranhola.

A three-and-a-half-year-old boy was killed when one wall of a tank, specially constructed for Chhath puja, fell on him and two others playing nearby. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

According to the police, the incident took place around 2.30 pm when the locals were preparing for Chhath pooja. The boy, Arav, whose father Brijesh works at a transport company in Gurugram, was playing with two other boys aged 10 and 11, close to the tank. The tank was specially constructed for the nearby residents to perform Chhath pooja rituals. Witnesses told the police that suddenly one wall of the tank collapsed on the three children.

“All three were buried under the debris. Locals pulled them out. The three were rushed to a hospital where Arav, who had sustained fatal injuries in his head and neck, was pronounced dead by the doctors while the other two were admitted for treatment. While one of them sustained a fracture in his leg, the other boy escaped with minor bruises,” a police officer said.

The boy’s family members were informed and the body was sent for a post mortem examination.

Deputy commissioner of police (outer) Seju P Kuruvilla said a case has been registered under section 304A of the IPC for causing death due to negligence and under section 288 for the negligent conduct with respect to pulling down or repairing buildings.

“The negligence is being probed and adequate legal action will be taken accordingly,” the DCP said.

Police are also checking the CCTV footage from the area to ascertain if there was any foul play.