New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) A seven-year-old boy drowned in a waterlogged vacant plot in the Samaypur Badli area here on Thursday morning, police said.
The deceased — Rehan, a Class 3 student residing in Sanjay Colony — had left home with his five-year-old brother around 8.30 am to attend nature’s call when he drowned, police said.
According to police, the plot had accumulated a large amount of rainwater following continuous showers in the last two days. The child waded to a deeper part of the waterlogged plot and drowned.
Rehan’s mother said her younger son returned home while the elder one did not. When he failed to return even after a long time, the worried family began a search and also informed the police.
“My son had gone out in the morning to attend nature’s call. When he did not come back for a long time, we informed our relatives and started searching for him,” the mother told reporters, struggling to hold back tears.
She said the family later found Rehan’s bottle placed on the stone boundary of the waterlogged plot.
“When we saw the bottle lying on the stone fence, we feared something was wrong. My brother-in-law and other family members searched the water. The plot was filled with rainwater, and my son was found inside a pit in the plot. If it were not filled with water, my son would have been alive today,” the grieving mother said.
Echoing the family’s anguish, Rehan’s aunt said the tragedy was the result of negligence.
“He was only a child. Nobody imagined that the rainwater collected in the vacant plot would turn into a death trap. We lost him because the place was left unattended,” she said.
According to police, the family searched for nearly two hours before locals informed them about the waterlogged vacant plot. They searched the water with the help of neighbours and pulled out the child. He was rushed to Burari Hospital, where the doctors declared him dead.
Officers at the Samaypur Badli police station said proceedings were initiated under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the child’s body was handed over to his family after completion of legal formalities.
They, however, ruled out any foul play, stating that the incident appeared to be a case of accidental drowning.
The incident comes after widespread rainfall lashed most parts of Delhi over the last two days, leading to waterlogging in several low-lying areas.
Residents alleged that despite repeatedly raising concerns about rainwater accumulating in the vacant plot during the monsoon, the authorities failed to address their recurring problem.
A local, Phool Kumar, said, “Every year, rainwater collects here, but no authority takes action. This time, it claimed the life of an innocent child. Such places should have either been filled up or fenced so that children cannot enter.” PTI BM RUK RUK
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