Noida: A six-year-old child was killed after falling into a 15-foot-deep pit in the Kaladhan Colony of Greater Noida, giving rise to public outrage at the negligence of authorities.
The pit was allegedly dug by the Greater Noida Authority for boring work and had filled with rainwater. There were no barricades around it.
The child, identified as Avyaan Surya, was playing with other children when the incident occurred, as reported by DNA.
He was pulled out by locals and rushed to hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
A distraught Siwan Yadav told NDTV that his son died due to the authorities’ negligence, while waiting outside the mortuary.
‘It’s unfair that his life was lost because of the negligence of the authorities,” he said, adding, ‘He hadn’t seen the world. He was fond of playing outside like all the other children. Whenever I close my eyes, his face comes in front of me. We’re inconsolable at this point,” he said.
The incident occurred around 7 pm, eyewitness Pranjal Rajput recounted. A security guard immediately jumped into the pit, with three to four locals joining in. They searched underwater for several minutes before they could locate Avyaan.
‘A boy came running to me while I was washing my car, screaming that a child had fallen inside the pit,” Rajput said.
‘We took him out of the pit and tried our best to revive him. We rushed him to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead,” he said.
They were unaware of the pit, locals claimed, accusing the Greater Noida Authority of serious negligence. A probe has been launched by the police.
“Based on the complaint of the plaintiff, a case has been registered in the matter. Further legal action is being ensured,” a police official said, as reported by ANI.
Locals said that it would have been difficult for even an adult to get out safely from the pit.