Two children drown in ditch filled with water in Mandsaur

In a tragic incident two children, hailing from a tribal community, drowned in a ditch filled with water in Mandsaur town in Madhya Pradesh.

According to police sources, the duo, identified as 8-year-old Harish and 6-year-old Raj, were playing near the ditch when they accidentally slipped into it and drowned as the ditch was seven feet deep.

The bodies of the children were fished out after some locals informed the family members of the children.

The local residents later created a ruckus in front of the local municipality office in protest against what they alleged digging of several ditches in the area because of the ongoing construction of a mini stadium there, sources said.

The residents alleged that the contractor had dug the ditches which were filled with water. They apprehended that these ditches were dangerous for the people, especially the kids, as they were very deep and the children could easily drown in them.

According to the sources, angry locals also ransacked the office of the municipality and assaulted the employees who tried to pacify them.

The residents also blocked traffic on a busy road demanding adequate compensation to the family of the victims. The officials had a tough time in persuading them to lift the blockade. The blockade was later lifted after the district administration handed the family members cheques of Rs two lakh each as ex-gratia relief, sources said.

The bodies of the children were sent for post-mortem examination, the police said.

The administration, in an apparent bid to avoid any further mishaps, ordered to fill the ditches with mud. Sources said that all the ditches had now been filled with mud.

The local residents said that they would again take to the streets if the mud was removed from the ditches.