6-yr-old drowns in unguarded tank

There was no one near the building when the girl fell. It is only later that a few other passersby spotted the girl floating inside the tank

A 6-year-old girl died after she allegedly fell into a water tank dug up inside an under-construction house in southeast Delhi’s Pul Prahladpur area on Tuesday afternoon.

Arpita was reportedly on her way home with her sister when she went towards the under-construction house. She was walking around when she reportedly slipped inside the tanker and drowned. According to the police, the construction site was not barricaded and the water tank was uncovered.

Following the incident, the police registered a case of negligence against the builder who was constructing the house and also summoned the contractor to join the probe.

Some passerby apparently heard the girl’s cries for help but could not figure out from where she was calling and went ahead. “There was no one near the building when the girl fell inside. It is only later that a few other passersby spotted the girl floating inside the tank and made a PCR call,” a local said.

“We received a call from the locals and a team reached the spot. The girl had fallen inside the water tank. She was taken out by our policemen who then rushed her to the hospital. She was declared dead on arrival. We have sent her body for a postmortem examination. Initial findings suggest that she drowned. We are, however, waiting for the autopsy report,” a police officer said.

Speaking to HT, Romil Baaniya, DCP southeast said, “The water tank did not have a boundary wall, which is a mandatory requirement when such a construction is being done. We have registered a case of negligence in the matter. We have begun a probe and will soon be recording statements.”