A four-year-old boy fell into an open borewell at Dhanaura in Haryana’s Ambala district on Tuesday morning. Rescue operations have begun. 

Deputy Commissioner Ajay Singh Tomar said the child is believed to be stuck about 220 feet inside the borewell.

“The incident took place around 6.30-7 am today. The NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) has arrived with specialised equipment, and efforts are underway to rescue him. The Army’s heavy machinery is also on the way. Every effort is being made to rescue the child safely,” Tomar told reporters.

Tomar added that the borewell is around nine inches in diameter.

The police said the boy, identified as Nirbhay, accompanied his father Manjeet Singh to the field specifically to give breakfast to his grandfather Karnail Singh, who had gone there to work.

“After reaching the field, Manjeet began working while Karnail Singh began to eat his breakfast. Nirbhay stayed near his grandfather for a while and started playing. He wandered a short distance away. There, he noticed an open borewell and began throwing clumps of soil into it. Hearing the sound echoing from deep inside, he leaned over to look into the borewell. Apparently, the edges of the borewell were wet and slippery, and the child is suspected to have slipped into the borewell,” a police officer said.

After Karnail heard the sound of the child falling into the borewell, he, Manjeet, and other villagers attempted to rescue the child on their own. They called the police helpline 112 at around 7.30 am.

“The police informed the fire brigade, and later the NDRF and Indian Army personnel were also called in to launch the full-scale rescue operation, which is going on,” the officer added.

Tomar said he has directed the police to initiate action against the borewell’s owner.

“That person is liable to face action for this negligent act of keeping the borewell open. A piece of tile, a brick, concrete slab, or even a jute bag could have been enough to cover this 9-inch borewell. If the person had taken these precautions and covered the borewell, this situation would not have arisen,” the deputy commissioner said.

Tomar also appealed to all farmers who have borewells in their fields to keep them properly covered. “Children do come to fields, and there is always a risk if the borewells are kept open,” he added.

Source: The Indian Express

--Agencies