Two-year-old falls into drain in Patna, dies

Patna: A two-year-old girl, Khadija, died after falling into an open drain in Patna’s Phulwarisharif area on Saturday. She was playing outside her home when she lost her balance and fell in.

The family initially suspected abduction, but CCTV footage later showed that she had fallen into the drain. After a two-hour search, she was found dead. Locals blamed municipal negligence and demanded compensation, citing the presence of multiple uncovered drains in the locality.According to police, the girl was playing outside her home when she slipped and fell into the drain. Due to excessive silt, she became stuck at one spot.

At first, the family believed she had been kidnapped, but when police began investigating and examined nearby CCTV footage, it became clear that she had fallen into the drain. After nearly two hours of searching, she was pulled out. The family rushed her to hospital, where doctors declared her dead.

The incident occurred in the Isapur area of Phulwarisharif.The deceased’s father, Saddam Hussain, said, “We are originally from Badmer village in Assam.

At 11am, my wife went to dry clothes after bathing. Meanwhile, the daughter went outside the house near the drain and the accident happened.”When the mother came out after some time to look for her daughter, she could not find her. Family members then began searching for the child in the surrounding area.“We first searched extensively on our own. When she was not found, we informed the Dial 112 team,” the deceased’s father added.A woman from the neighbourhood alleged that the incident reflected negligence on the part of the municipal council and said the child’s family should receive compensation.Locals claimed that several drains in the area were open and lacked covers or any safety measures. They said complaints had been made repeatedly in the past, but no action was taken.Following the incident, residents demanded that the administration ensure all open drains are covered and take action against those responsible.Phulwari Sharif Municipal Council executive officer Deepak Jha said, “After the accident, orders were given to the junior engineer to inspect drains in all wards of Phulwarisharif. The incident occurred in Ward 24.”Phulwari Sharif station house officer Ghulam Shahwaz Alam said the child’s body was handed over to the family after a post-mortem examination at the AIIMS-Patna.