Bhagirath Borewell Tragedy: 8 Failed Attempts, 22-Hour Rescue Ends in Death

Rescue Effort Collapses After Midnight

A two-year-old child, Bhagirath Devasi, died after falling into a 200-foot-deep borewell in Badnagar, Ujjain district. The rescue operation lasted nearly 22 hours but ended in tragedy on Thursday.

Eight consecutive attempts to pull the child out failed. Teams from SDRF and NDRF worked through the night, yet could only recover the body using iron rods and ropes meant for extracting motors.

Timeline of a Failed Operation

The child slipped into the borewell around 4:30 PM on Wednesday. Rescue teams reached within an hour. But initial efforts lacked coordination.

Officials said Bhagirath was first trapped at 35 feet. Due to unsuccessful hook attempts, he slipped deeper to 70 feet. Oxygen supply was maintained until 2 PM Thursday, after which the pipe was removed – a clear signal that the team had given up hope.

Equipment Gaps Haunt Rescuers

Ujjain SDRF’s underwater camera worked only up to 55 feet. When the child went deeper, the equipment became useless. Plastic joint pipes were ordered from private suppliers. A private expert, Vijaysingh Sankhla, had to be called in with better cameras used normally for removing faulty motors.

“The camera lacked stability. The underwater view was blurry,” sources indicated.

Harda SDRF later arrived with thin iron pipes, a three-legged stand, and a child dummy for practice – something the local team did not possess.

No Stability, No Backup Plan

For the first eight hours, rescuers relied on only one strategy: hooking the child’s clothes or bangle. When that failed repeatedly, no backup plan existed.

Ground leveling was ignored initially. Jawans and villagers held the rod manually at the borewell opening. Harda SDRF later leveled the ground and installed a locking stand, which provided better control.

Parallel Pit Technique Not Used Early

Officials confirmed that parallel digging – a standard method where a pit is dug alongside the borewell – was not attempted in the first several hours. By the time it began, time had already run out.

“If Harda team had arrived earlier, the outcome could have been better,” an officer admitted.

Official Statements and Compensation

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief and announced ₹4 lakh as financial assistance for the family. District Collector Roshan Kumar Singh and SP Pradeep Sharma remained at the site throughout.

SDRF Ujjain Commandant Santosh Kumar Jat said the team was actively engaged. But sources noted that the local SDRF lacked clear strategy and depth-specific training.

What Next: Questions Without Answers

The tragedy has exposed glaring gaps in India’s borewell rescue infrastructure. Experts say standard operating procedures for borewell depth beyond 50 feet do not exist at the district level.

Public interest groups are now demanding a national audit of rescue equipment across all SDRF units. Meanwhile, Bhagirath’s body was handed over to his family after post-mortem. Last rites were performed on Thursday evening.

As one official put it on condition of anonymity, “We brought rods to pull out a motor. We forgot we were pulling out a child.”