Minor boy falls to death in open drain in Odisha capital

Reported by Santosh Jagdev
Bhubaneswar, Aug 25:

Vehicular traffic in the Odisha capital was disrupted this evening as locals staged road blockade after the death of a nine-year-old boy who fell into an open drain near Mumtaz Ali High School under Nayapalli police station limits.

The enraged locals along with the aggrieved family members blocked the road connecting CBI office and Unit-VIII DAV Public School in the city disrupting traffic for several hours this evening.

The agitators blocked the road demanding compensation for the deceased family members and held Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) responsible for the unfortunate incident.

The deceased was identified as Tapan Biswal alias Papuni, son of Muna Biswal, presently staying in a slum near Deba Ray College.

According to Nayapalli police sources, Pupun fell into the overflowing drain while he was returning from private tuition classes accompanied by his mother. He was swept away in the drain for around 200 metres away from the spot from where he fell. The locals informed the fire office to rescue him. However, it was too late when he was fished out from the drain. He was retrieved from the waters in an unconscious state.

The minor, a class-IV student, was rushed to Capital hospital in the city soon after the incident but was declared brought dead by the doctors in the hospital.

Meanwhile, BMC Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena has declared a compensation of Rs 1 lakh for the deceased family.