A four-year-old boy, identified as Nirvair Singh of Dhanaura village, fell into a 350-ft-deep borewell at the village in Ambala on Tuesday morning. A rescue operation was underway till late evening.
As per information, Nirvair and his father Manjeet Singh had gone to their fields at around 6.30 am to give food to the boy’s grandfather. While playing, he accidentally fell into the neighbour’s borewell. Hearing his screams, his father and grandfather raised the alarm. Local residents and an emergency response team rushed to the spot but could not pull him out. Meanwhile, senior officials also arrived and launched a rescue operation. Personnel from the police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force and the Army were deployed, and heavy machinery was pressed into service.
The boy was initially stuck at a depth of around 220 ft, but during rescue, he reportedly slipped further down. Residents said the borewell was around 350 ft deep.
A camera was lowered into the borewell to monitor the child’s movement. In the footage, the hands of the boy were seen and water was also running down, making the operation more complicated. Officials refused to comment on the status of his health.
Villagers expressed dissatisfaction over the pace of the operation, saying that the rescue teams were yet to retrieve the child. Nirvair’s maternal uncle said, “The family is in shock and we are praying for his safety. It has been over 12 hours now. The administration is trying but we are feeling helpless.”
While the boy’s father, who fell unconscious, was taken away, his grandfather refused to leave the spot and kept crying.
Rain also hampered the operation and a tent was erected to stop the water from entering the borewell.
Deputy Commissioner Ajay Singh Tomer and SDM Kanika Goyal were monitoring the operation. “The NDRF is trying to retrieve the boy with the help of hooks. The water is also running in the borewell,” the DC said.
“The incident occurred due to the negligence of the person who did not cover the borewell. Directions have been issued to take action. We appeal to all farmers to cover borewells to avoid such unfortunate incidents in the future,” he said.
State Cabinet minister Anil Vij and BJP district president Mandeep Rana reached the spot and met the boy’s family.
