Body of 15-Year-Old Recovered From Drain in South-East Delhi's Jasola
Rescue teams on Tuesday recovered the body of a 15-year-old boy who fell into an open drain while chasing a kite in south-east Delhi's Jasola village on August 22. The body of the teenager, identified as Mithun, was retrieved more than 72 hours after he was reported missing.
The Class 8 student fell into the drain around 11 a.m. on August 22. A Delhi Fire Services official stated that the department received a distress call at 11:54 a.m., following which two fire tenders were dispatched to the location to commence search operations.
As the boy remained untraced, the effort expanded into a multi-agency search operation. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority joined the operation, alongside divers from the Boat Club. Officials noted that the strong and continuous flow of water inside the sewage-filled drain severely hampered search efforts over multiple days.
On the day of the incident, Mithun's family members and local residents staged protests and blocked traffic in the area, urging authorities to intensify the search. Protesters alleged that rescue personnel were initially using poles rather than fully deploying rescue equipment.
Frustrated by the delay after more than 60 hours of unsuccessful operations, Mithun's father, Awadesh Kumar, jumped directly into the sewage drain on Monday afternoon to search for his son. A video of the father searching the drain was later circulated on social media.
Following the incident, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta expressed deep sorrow and strong displeasure on Monday, directing the Chief Secretary to determine the agency holding jurisdiction over the drain and fix accountability. Subsequently, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi suspended Anuj Kumar, a junior engineer in its South East (Central) Zone, for dereliction of duty and initiated disciplinary proceedings against him.
After rescue personnel finally recovered Mithun's body on Tuesday, his family appealed to the Delhi government to construct a boundary wall along the open drain to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
