GUWAHATI: Three officials of a construction company were arrested in Assam’s Guwahati after a three-year-old boy fell into an uncovered drain and died on Wednesday.
The incident took place around 4:30 pm on Wednesday when the boy, Sumit Sahu, was playing near his house in Guwahati’s Kalapahar area. His family said he was unconscious by the time he was pulled out of the drain and was declared dead on arrival at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).
On Thursday, the child’s father lodged a complaint with the Fatasil Ambari Police Station, accusing Bhartia Infra Projects Ltd (BIPL) of negligence. In his complaint, he said the company was entrusted with executing the drainage project under the supervision of the Public Works Department (PWD).
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), Mrinal Deka, stated that the arrests were made following a complaint.
“During preliminary investigation, lapses in safety and accountability were found. Three persons — Avinash Bhartia, managing director of BIPL; Kaushik Gogoi, safety engineer; and Prasanjit Pathak, deputy project manager — have been arrested. More arrests are likely as the probe continues,” the DCP said.
“This tragedy was waiting to happen. The drains have been left open for months. We complained several times, but no action was taken,” said Rakesh Sahu, a local resident. Other residents said long stretches of the ongoing drainage project had been left uncovered without barricades or warning signs.