Guwahati Drain Tragedy: Three Company Officials Arrested, Probe Widens

Guwahati police have arrested three individuals in connection with the death of five-year-old Sunit Kumar, who fell into an opendrain near Vivekananda School in Kalapahar on Thursday.

Addressing a press meet in Guwahati on Friday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Padmanabha Barua informed that an FIR was filed by the child’s father, accusing Bhartia Infra Projects Limited (BIPL), the construction company responsible for the project under the supervision of the Public Works Department (PWD). Acting on the complaint, police launched an immediate probe.

The three arrested have been identified as Avinash Bhartia (Director), Kaushik Gogoi (Safety Engineer), and Prasannajit Pathak (Deputy Project Manager). More arrests are likely as investigation progresses, Baruah said.

“Everyone has seen the CCTV footage of the incident. Shockingly, a similar accident occurred barely a month ago at another construction site, claiming one life. Yet, the company failed to learn any sense of responsibility,” he said.

Further, Baruah informed that two FIRs had been filed, one in connection with Thursday’s incident, and another related to the earlier mishap.

“We are investigating both cases. If more people are found responsible, they will be arrested,” he said.

Locals have accused the contractor of cutting corners, alleging that slabs for drains were only placed after bribes were paid. Police said these allegations too would be investigated.

Though many people have been detained and questioned since the tragedy, Baruah confirmed that three individuals have so far been formally arrested.

Also Read: CM Orders Satellite Survey of City Drains After Child’s Death in Guwahati