Heaps of garbage cleared: Body of teen found 3 days after he fell into drain while chasing kite

Heaps of plastic bottles, construction debris, clothes, and tyres, which had accumulated over the years, obscured an open drain in southeast Delhi. The body of 15-year-old Mithun Kumar, a Class 8 student, was discovered after part of the garbage obstructing the drain was cleared on Tuesday. Mithun had fallen into the drain in Jasola on August 22, and his body was found four days later, on August 26.

Mithun's mother, Anitha, fainted upon seeing his body and was taken to a tent by relatives and neighbors. His father, Awadhesh, a laborer, rushed to make arrangements for an ambulance. The drain, which runs close to Shaheen Bagh police station, is frequented by residents, office-goers, and children. Mithun had fallen into the drain while his mother, who worked, was not around.

His aunt, Kusum, said she had only looked away for a moment, and upon hearing a child scream, "Mithun has fallen," realized her son was missing. Mithun's father had entered the drain on Sunday and began removing the garbage with his hands, an image that was heartbreaking. Awadhesh expressed frustration that the garbage could have been cleared earlier, potentially allowing his son to be found alive.

The search operations were carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services (DFS), and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and were in their third day on Tuesday. Delays in the recovery of the body were attributed to several obstructions, including the swamp of clogged garbage and debris.

The body was sent to AIIMS, and the family is from Uttar Pradesh's Budaun. The MCD suspended a junior engineer on Monday over alleged "dereliction of duty," but MCD officials did not respond to queries regarding the lapse. Neighbors expressed concern about the open drain, stating that it has been clogged and uncared for for ages, and such incidents could have been avoided if it was clear and clean.