Boy dies after falling into unsecured Assam reservoir

Guwahati: Nine-year-old Anshuman Saikia died Monday night after he fell into a reservoir in Madhavpur village. The structure was built under the Jal Jeevan Mission within the Lakhimpur district of Assam. Anshuman went missing Monday evening. His family and neighbors searched for the boy until they pulled him from the tank.

A flimsy piece of plywood covered the reservoir manhole. That cover had been the only safety measure for three years. Medical staff at Narayanpur Civil Hospital declared the boy dead upon arrival.

Locals expressed outrage at the unsafe site near the Narayanpur Police Station. The Veer Lachit Sena filed a formal complaint against the project contractor. They blamed the builder for the boy's death. One resident said, "The reservoir had remained in the same condition, with only a plywood sheet covering the manhole, for the past three years." Police are now investigating the contractor for criminal negligence.