Girl drowns after two kids fall into Gurugram sewerage pit

Police said the deceased, identified as Rida Khan, drowned as the water level in the ditch had risen after last week’s rain.

Gurugram A nine-year-old girl, student of class 3, died and her friend, a boy studying in class 4, was seriously injured after the children fell into a pit dug up for sewerage in Sohna, on Sunday. Both the children stayed in a BPL colony in Dhunela village and were neighbours.

The girl failed to notice the open pit due to rain-related flooding. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The police said the deceased, identified as Rida Khan, drowned as the water level in the ditch had risen after last week’s rain.

Investigating officer sub-inspector Sunder Pal said the incident took place on Saturday around 5pm when the deceased, identified as Rida, and her friend, identified as Sumit, were returning home in Dhunela village from tuition classes.

“To reach the village, the children crossed a plot where construction was going on and a pit had been dug up to lay a sewage line. Because of the rain, the children did not notice the ditch and fell in it,” Pal said.

“One of the villagers heard the children’s cries and informed others, who pulled them out and took them to a hospital,” Pal said, adding that the children were rushed to the Sohna civil hospital, where Rida was declared brought dead, while Sumit was referred to a private hospital in Gurugram, where his condition is said to be critical.

Pal said Rida’s parents work as daily wage earners while Sumit’s parents’ whereabouts are not known and that was cared for by the villagers.

On the complaint of the girl’s uncle, a case was registered against the private company, on whose land construction was going on, under Section 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code at Bhondsi police station. No arrests had been made as yet, the police said.

In the complaint, the victim’s kin have stated that they had asked officials of the private company against keeping the pits uncovered on several occasions in the past, but their concerns were ignored.