BENGALURU: A 5-year-old boy died after he fell into an open drain next to Munekolalu slum in Doddanekundi on Friday afternoon. The boy was playing with his two friends when he accidentally fell into the drain.
The deceased has been identified as Shamir, son of Pintu Ull. They are said to be slum dwellers who are ragpickers.
According to a senior police officer, the incident took place around 12.30 pm when Shamir was playing cricket with his friends. While playing, the ball fell into the drain and Shamir, who went to retrieve it, tried crossing the mud bridge there and accidentally fell into the drain. He was swept away by the flowing water. His friends raised an alarm and residents rushed to the spot. Later, he was found stuck in thick silt by some residents who immediately rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
Varthur police who were informed about the incident conducted spot inspection. During the preliminary investigation police found that there was no negligence on the part of BBMP officials or the drainage maintenance staff, as the area is prohibited for human movement. Later, the postmortem of the 5-year-old was conducted in a government hospital and the body was handed over to his parents, the officer added.
Pallavi, a resident, said that the water flow in the drain is usually heavy during the afternoons. “It is a remote area and is occupied by slum dewellers and so the BBMP officials neglected the locality. I think some safety measures should be taken around the drain.”