A tragic incident unfolded in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain district, where a two-and-a-half-year-old boy, Bhagirath, lost his life after falling into an open borewell in Jhalariya village under Badnagar tehsil. The child slipped into the borewell at around 7:30 pm on Thursday, triggering an extensive and urgent rescue operation that continued for nearly 23 hours.
Multiple agencies, including teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), were mobilised immediately after authorities received information about the incident. The rescue mission involved heavy machinery such as Poclain and JCB machines, along with specialised drilling equipment brought in from Bhopal and Indore to deal with the difficult terrain.
Officials stated that the child was trapped at a depth of approximately 60 to 65 feet. Rescuers faced significant challenges due to rocky ground conditions and the presence of large boulders, which slowed down the digging process. Efforts were also made to monitor the child using a camera inserted into the borewell, while oxygen was continuously supplied in an attempt to keep him alive. At one point, teams also attempted to pull him out using a rescue rope ring.
Despite sustained efforts through the night, the child was finally pulled out on Friday. He was immediately rushed to a nearby civil hospital in an ambulance. However, doctors declared him dead upon examination, confirming that he was unresponsive at the time of rescue.
Bhagirath was the son of Praveen Devasi, a shepherd originally from Rajasthan’s Pali district. The family had arrived in the area just a few days earlier for grazing livestock. According to officials, the borewell had been loosely covered with a stone, which got displaced. The child, walking behind his family, reportedly removed the cover out of curiosity and fell inside.
Authorities stated that a post-mortem would be conducted before handing over the body to the family. The incident has once again highlighted the recurring danger posed by unsecured borewells, especially in rural areas, and the urgent need for stricter safety measures to prevent such tragedies.
