8-year-old drowns in DDA open pit, cops file case of negligence

"My husband returned with my son's slippers only," sobbed 8-year-old's mother.

The boy had gone to play cricket with his friends on Tuesday in Vijay Vihar in Rohini when he drowned in an 11-feet open pit in a DDA park.

The pit was overflowing with rainwater and he drowned while trying to wash the dirt off his clothes after fetching the ball.

The police have registered a case of causing death due to negligence.

According to the report, the boy, Abdul Khalid went to play cricket with his friends in the evening.

As the ball fell into the pit overflowing with water, Abdul rushed to fetch it.

After he managed to get the ball, he tried to wash off the dirt on his clothes from the water in the pit.

Just then, he slipped and fell into it. He was unaware of the 11-feet depth of the pit, said sources.

"My son went to play with other kids, I got worried when he did not return. It was only after his father returned from work around Iftar time that he went to look for Khalid," sobbed his mother, Shabana Khatoon.

Abdul's father, Mushtaq, who works in a bangle showroom in Sadar Bazar, found that his son was missing only after he returned home.

"I found that my son missing after I came back home. I went to the kids to inquire about him and they reluctantly told me that he drowned. It was only after we got into water that we found Khalid's body.

This is sheer negligence on the part of the authorities," said Mushtaq.

It is also learnt that Abdul's playmates had initially tried to save him with their bat and also informed few locals but none took the children seriously.

The incident happened at around 5:30 pm on Tuesday but the police were informed at around 8 pm.

The reason for the delay was the fact that the other children were scared of the accident and did not reveal it to Khalid's parents.

Police said that soon after the incident, the pit which was earlier open and had no warning, was soon fenced and a DDA board cropped up overnight.

"We have registered a case under section 304 A ( causing death due to negligence ) on the statement of the father of the child," said DCP Rohini Rishipal Singh.