Two minor boys, aged nine and 11, drowned in a rainwater-filled pit on vacant land near DDA Flats in Delhi’s Narela area on Thursday, police said. The children, residents of Bawana, had allegedly gone to play near the pit at 100 Foota in Narela. Local residents pulled them out after learning that they had fallen into the water. The boys were rushed to Satyawadi Raja Harish Chandra Hospital, where doctors declared them dead.
Eyewitness Mohammad Shahnawaz said he rushed to the spot after being informed that two children were in the water. By the time residents reached them, the boys had already drowned, he said. Locals attempted to rescue them and alerted the police before eventually managing to pull both children out. Police subsequently sent the bodies for medico-legal proceedings and began an investigation to establish how the children entered the pit.
A family member said one of the boys, a Class 5 student, had left home at around 10 am after taking some money from his father, who works as a labourer, to buy candies. His aunt Ladli said the family later received information about the incident and rushed to the site. She accompanied police as the children were taken to hospital in an ambulance. The mother of the other boy said she was at work when local residents called to inform her that her son had drowned. She said her son had left for tuition at around 10 am and she had been trying to find out whether he had returned home.
The deaths occurred in a pit on vacant land near Delhi Development Authority flats. Residents alleged that the pit had been dug during construction work and was subsequently left exposed, allowing it to fill with rainwater during the monsoon. The incident prompted allegations of negligence from residents and the families of the children, who demanded measures to secure the site and prevent similar accidents.
Responding to the incident, the DDA said it had secured the vacant plot by constructing a boundary wall to prevent unauthorised entry. However, the authority claimed that portions of the wall had repeatedly been damaged by miscreants despite repairs. DDA said incidents involving damage, theft and other unauthorised activities in the area had previously been brought to the attention of Delhi Police through complaints, FIRs and other communications. The authority said it had repeatedly raised concerns about law and order and security in the locality with police.
DDA said it had already allotted a flat in Pocket-4 for setting up a police chowki to strengthen policing in the area. Two additional LIG flats in Sector G7/G8 have also been offered for establishing a police camp office, according to the authority. Following Thursday's deaths, DDA said it was extending necessary cooperation to the police investigation. It added that preventive steps, including strengthening the boundary around the plot and increasing surveillance of vulnerable vacant sites, were being examined to prevent another such incident.
Family members and residents, however, alleged that inadequate maintenance and safeguards at the site had contributed to the tragedy. The incident occurred amid heavy monsoon activity in Delhi, which has resulted in waterlogging and accumulation of rainwater at several locations.
Police said investigators were working to establish the precise sequence of events and how the two boys reached the water-filled pit. Authorities also appealed to parents and guardians to closely supervise children during the monsoon and prevent them from playing around open pits, drains and water bodies.