New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS) The body of 15-year-old Mithun, a Class 8 student who went missing after falling into an open drain in southeast Delhi's Jasola village, was recovered on Tuesday, bringing a tragic end to a four-day search operation.
Mithun reportedly fell into the drain on Saturday morning while trying to retrieve a kite near his home. The teenager had gone missing at around 11 a.m., following which his family feared that he had been swept away in the drain.
His family, originally from Uttar Pradesh, lives in the area and works as daily-wage labourers here.
Soon after the incident, a massive search operation was launched involving multiple agencies. Personnel from the Delhi Fire Service, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), other rescue teams and divers searched the drain and connected areas in an attempt to trace the boy.
Despite continuous efforts, Mithun could not be located for several days. His body was eventually recovered on Tuesday and has been sent for a post-mortem examination.
The incident also sparked outrage after a video purportedly showing Mithun's father searching for his son inside the drain went viral on social media. In the video, the distraught father was seen entering the drain with a stick in his hand and looking for the teenager as the search operation continued.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had earlier expressed deep grief and strong displeasure over the incident. She directed the Chief Secretary to provide details regarding the jurisdiction and responsibility for the drain within an hour and called for action against officials found responsible for any lapse.
Following the incident, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) suspended a junior engineer of the South East (Central) Zone for alleged dereliction of duty.
The civic body said disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against the official. The action came amid questions over the safety and maintenance of the open and unguarded drain where the teenager reportedly fell.
--IANS
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