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According to officials, Deepak Thakur, his wife and child were going to the market to buy clothes when the incident took place. In heavy rain, the motorcycle purportedly lost control and hit the open drain near the market area. (Representational image)
A motorcycle carrying a family hit an open drain during heavy rain, causing a two-year-old child to fall inside and die in Jharkhand’s Giridih district. Saturday’s incident triggered a 16-hour search operation, at the end of which the body was recovered on Sunday from the drain two kilometres away from where the child fell in.
According to officials, Deepak Thakur, his wife and child were going to the market to buy clothes when the incident took place. In heavy rain, the motorcycle purportedly lost control and hit the open drain near the market area.
“In a split second, the child fell onto the road and was carried away by the gushing water. Despite desperate efforts by the family, the strong current swept him into the drain,” said Gyan Ranjan, the in-charge of Town police station.
Police, district administration, and municipal teams reached the spot soon after the incident and launched a search operation. Police said excavators were deployed to break open parts of the drain, and pumps were used to clear water. “The rescue continued through the night but had to be halted around 3 am due to heavy rain and darkness,” he said.
Ranjan said search operations resumed Sunday morning and that efforts were being intensified using machines and pumps to trace the child — his parents’ only son. “Unfortunately the child’s body was seen and recovered today at around 11 am,” he said Sunday.
According to sources, the drainage area had been left open by municipal authorities due to ongoing preparations for Durga Puja, but when heavy rain filled the drain with water, it was no longer visible.
Giridih Deputy Commissioner Ramniwas Yadav said the incident occurred in a part of town where three drains converge. “While most drains were covered, only one section was left open for cleaning and to allow road water to flow. The parents, riding a bike, were caught in a sudden jolt, and the child slipped into the open section of the drain. The strong current caused by the heavy rain carried the child nearly two kilometres away where the drain ends,” he said.
Anger among locals
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The incident has triggered anger among local residents, who accused authorities of negligence. On Sunday morning, residents blocked the main road near the spot, demanding accountability and immediate implementation of safety measures. They alleged that the drain should have been covered with slabs as per municipal rules and claimed that quicker action could have saved the child’s life.
DC Yadav said the road blockade was triggered by a misunderstanding, which was quickly resolved.
“The cause of death was drowning, so appropriate compensation and other assistance have been provided to the family. Additionally, the postmortem has been completed, and the body has been handed over to the family,” said Yadav.
Shubham Tigga hails from Chhattisgarh and studied journalism at the Asian College of Journalism. He previously reported in Chhattisgarh on Indigenous issues and is deeply interested in covering socio-political, human rights, and environmental issues in mainland and NE India. Presently based in Pune, he reports on civil aviation, other transport sectors, urban mobility, the gig economy, commercial matters, and workers' unions. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More
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