A two-year-old boy who was trapped in a 150-ft borewell for almost 110 hours in Punjab’s Sangrur district was declared dead on being rescued this morning (11 June 2019).

Fatehveer Singh was being rescued by joint efforts of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and police officials. On being brought to PGIMER Chandigarh in an ambulance, his condition was first declared to be serious. He was declared dead early in the morning of June 11.

Around 4 pm on June 6, Fatehveer Singh fell into the seven-inch wide borewell in a field while playing near his house in Bhagwanpura village in Sangrur area.

The Incident

The boy accidentally stepped on the borewell as it was covered by a cloth. Inside the borewell, he was unable to move as his face was covered with a jute bag, which fell on him when he slipped inside.

After he fell, no food or water could be provided to him, although the officials managed to supply oxygen.

To carry out the rescue operation, a parallel borewell with a diameter of 36 inches was dug up. When this did not work, Singh had to be brought out with his hands clamped with a rope.

Claiming that the body of the child had severe wounds, India Today quoted Rohi Singh, the child’s grandfather, as saying, “Why was he taken to the hospital when he is no more? He was pulled out (of the borewell) by using strings.”

A protest was held by villagers who were enraged over the fact that the district administration could not bring out the child even after four days. While villages blocked the Sunam-Mansa road, heavy police have to be deployed in the area to prevent any untoward incident.

Borewells lying open is a common problem in several states. It is harrowing to see how negligent authorities are towards issues like these, which in this case cost the boy his life.

It is high time these problems are looked into and dealt with seriously.

Also Read: Govt Overlooks Major Concerns While Proposing New Groundwater Rules