7th borewell victim in two years: 10-year-old dies in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal: A 10-year-old boy, Sumit Meena, who was rescued from a borewell in Madhya Pradesh's Guna, tragically passed away at a district hospital on Sunday.

Sumit had fallen into the borewell while flying a kite with friends and cousins near his home in Raghogarh town. His rescue followed an arduous 16-hour operation by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and local police. Despite the extensive efforts to stabilize him, Sumit succumbed to his injuries shortly after being brought to the hospital.

Sumit’s death marks the seventh borewell tragedy in Madhya Pradesh over the past two years, between December 2022 and 2024. The state has witnessed a series of similar incidents. Earlier this year, on April 12, a six-year-old boy, Mayank Kol, fell into a borewell in Teonthar tehsil of Rewa district. Despite being rescued after more than 40 hours by various agencies, including the Indian Army, Mayank did not survive. Following this incident, the state suspended two senior officials from Janpad Teonthar for alleged negligence.

In another tragic event on July 29, a three-year-old girl, Saumya Shah, fell into a borewell near her home in Singrauli. Despite a lengthy rescue operation, Saumya died. Additionally, on December 2023, an eight-year-old boy, Lokesh Ahirwar, fell into a borewell in Vidisha district and died. This led to the then-Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, convening a high-level meeting to address the increasing number of such incidents and ordered a statewide inspection of borewells.

Earlier in June 2023, a two-and-a-half-year-old girl, Srishti Kushwaha, died after falling into a borewell in Sehore district. Despite a multi-hour operation to rescue her, Srishti's body was recovered by the Army. The same year, on December 6, a four-year-old girl, Mahi, who had fallen into a borewell in Rajgarh district, was rescued but tragically died hours later in the hospital. The previous week, a similar incident in Betul resulted in the death of a three-year-old girl.

The state government had announced strict measures in July 2023, warning that those failing to cover their borewells would face severe punishment. Borewell owners, including parents of victims, could face legal consequences. Despite these measures and inspections to locate open borewells, the ongoing tragedies highlight the persistence of this grave issue.

With IANS inputs