Mithun, a Class-VIII student, allegedly fell into an open drain while chasing a kite in southeast Delhi’s Jasola area. Photo | Special arrangement
Delhi

Body of minor, who fell in open drain chasing kite, recovered

The deceased's father said that if it had been covered, Mithun might not have fallen victim to the accident.

Nitin Rawat

NEW DELHI: Three days after Mithun, a Class-VIII student, allegedly fell into an open drain while chasing a kite in southeast Delhi’s Jasola area, his body was recovered on Tuesday, with his anguished father urging the government to close the drain at once so that no other family loses its child.

A video that surfaced on social media earlier showed the boy’s father, Avdhesh Kumar, searching for his son Mithun inside that drain. In a desperate attempt to find him, Kumar was seen removing filth from the drain himself.

Mithun’s body was found at the same spot where his father had got into the drain to search for him. “I was tired of begging from the very first day. If someone had listened to me earlier, maybe my child would have been alive today,” he said.

A search operation involving the Delhi Fire Service, National Disaster Response Force and divers recovered the body around 1 pm on Tuesday.

However, Kumar was left with grief and questions over the open drain near his house, which he alleged had been a danger for a long time. He said that if it had been covered, Mithun might not have fallen victim to the accident. “My child is gone, now no one else should lose their child. The government should take some steps to close this drain,” he said.

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