8-yr-old boy who fell into Guwahati drain found dead

The body of an eight-year-old boy who had fallen into a stormwater drain in Guwahati on Thursday, was recovered about 4 km downstream in Rajgarh area of the city, police said.

The body was identified by his parents at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), where it was taken after being retrieved on Sunday.

A post-mortem examination was conducted at the hospital, and DNA samples were collected for further testing.

The body was brought to his home in Noonmati area of Guwahati in the afternoon.

Abhinash Sarkar had slipped from his father's scooter and fallen into the open drain on Thursday evening, as they were returning home amid heavy downpour.

Multiple agencies, including National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), had launched a search operation, pressing into action different machinery and sniffer dogs.

Abhinash's father Hiralal had also carried out a search operation by himself, wading through the drain, slush and garbage with a stick in his hand for the last three days, spending the first two nights under a mosquito net on the verandah of a shop near the site of the incident.

A police officer said that the body was recovered around 9.30 am by rescue agencies in Rajgarh area, more than four km downstream from hilly Jyotinagar, where the boy had fallen into the drain.

The parents initially identified the body on the basis of photographs shared with them, and later physically verified it at the GMCH morgue.

A pall of gloom descended on the entire area as neighbours and others crowded the small courtyard of Abhinash's residence.

The last rites are being conducted at the local crematorium.

A sobbing Hiralal recounted his last conversation with Abhinash, saying that his son had informed him that his examinations had gone well and asked for a bicycle.

"I am a good rider but don't know what happened that day. I would also have died had I not held on to a branch. But I wish it was me instead of my son," he lamented.

Thanking the chief minister and rescue agencies for finding the body, Hiralal said, "I desperately wanted to find my son. And I am thankful to all for their efforts."

Abhinash's grandfather urged the authorities to cover all drains so that such incidents do not recur.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had visited the search site on Saturday, expressed his condolences to the bereaved family.

'Deeply pained! With a heavy heart, we have learnt that the child's body has been found. My deepest condolences go out to his parents and family during this unimaginable time,' Sarma wrote on X.

The CM also extended gratitude to the personnel of the NDRF, SDRF, police and Kamrup Metropolitan district administration for their efforts in the search and rescue operations.