Fifteen-year-old Class 8 student Mithun remained missing nearly 60 hours after he reportedly fell into an open drain in Delhi’s Jasola village around 11 am on August 22 while trying to retrieve a kite.
A multi-agency operation involving the Delhi Fire Service, Delhi Police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Disaster Management Authority and Boat Club teams continued through Monday, but his body had not been recovered, according to the latest media report.
The fast-moving water inside the drain has made the search difficult. Mithun’s father, Awadhesh Kumar, also entered the drain himself in a desperate attempt to find his son, with a video of the search subsequently circulating on social media.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) suspended junior engineer Anuj Kumar for alleged dereliction of duty after Chief Minister Rekha Gupta expressed “strong displeasure and deep sorrow” over the incident and directed officials to identify the officer responsible.
A Desperate Search
Mithun reportedly fell into the open drain near his home while trying to retrieve a kite before going to school. According to his family and police accounts cited by news organisations, another child witnessed the incident and alerted the family.
Mithun’s elder brother, Joginder, said his sister-in-law also saw him fall and attempted to save him, but the teenager had already been carried away by the water. The Delhi Fire Service received the emergency call at 11:54 am and sent two fire tenders to the location, while the Sarita Vihar police station was informed at 12:04 pm.
The rescue effort subsequently expanded to include NDRF personnel and divers, along with teams from the Delhi Fire Service, police, DDMA and Boat Club. The operation was suspended late on Saturday because of darkness and resumed on Sunday morning. Officials said the continuous and fast flow of water was making it particularly difficult to search the drain and adjoining stretches.
For the family, however, the passage of time brought increasing anguish. Mithun’s father told ANI that the drain was “completely open” and said the family did not know exactly how the teenager had fallen. His relative Kusum questioned the initial response, alleging that police personnel came to the spot but failed to rescue him. These remain the family’s allegations and have not been independently established.
Father Enters The Drain
As the search stretched into its second and third days without a breakthrough, Mithun’s father entered the drain himself. A video that circulated on social media showed Awadhesh Kumar inside the drain, searching through the water and debris with a stick in his hand.
The footage captured the desperation of a parent who had spent days waiting for rescue teams to locate his son. Media reported that the video went viral as the official search operation continued.
Mithun’s family, originally from Uttar Pradesh, lives in the Jasola area and works as labourers in Delhi, according to reports. Relatives described the teenager as the youngest of four siblings and said he was studying in Class 8. For them, the search has been about more than recovering a missing child—it has meant remaining at the site and waiting for an answer amid uncertainty.
The incident has also raised questions about the condition and ownership of the drain. The Times of India reported that the Delhi Jal Board said the Kachha Nallah, which carries treated effluent from the Okhla Sewage Treatment Plant, had been handed over to the MCD.
The Delhi government’s flood and irrigation department also denied responsibility, while the MCD reportedly said maintenance fell under the irrigation and flood-control department.
Accountability After Tragedy
The civic responsibility question was followed by administrative action. The MCD suspended Anuj Kumar, a junior engineer posted in the South East (Central) Zone, with immediate effect for alleged dereliction of duty. An office order issued on August 24 said disciplinary proceedings were being contemplated against him.
The order also specified that Kumar would receive a subsistence allowance under the applicable rules and would remain at the designated headquarters during his suspension.
The action followed Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s intervention. Officials said Gupta expressed “strong displeasure and deep sorrow” over the incident and directed the Chief Secretary to obtain information about the drain and suspend the officer found responsible.
However, the administrative action should not be confused with a final determination of criminal or individual responsibility. The MCD’s disciplinary proceedings will establish the facts surrounding the alleged dereliction of duty. At the same time, the circumstances surrounding Mithun’s disappearance remain unresolved, with rescuers still unable to locate him nearly 60 hours after the reported fall.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Mithun’s disappearance is a painful reminder that basic civic infrastructure can become a matter of life and death when it is left exposed and inadequately secured. While the suspension of an official signals that accountability is being sought, it cannot by itself address the larger questions: Why was the drain open, which agency was responsible for maintaining it, and could clearer safeguards have prevented a teenager from falling into it?
At the same time, the anguish of Mithun’s family deserves empathy rather than political point-scoring. The focus now must remain on the search, transparent investigation and meaningful corrective action so that another family does not have to endure a similar tragedy.
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