Three BIPL officials arrested after toddler’s death in Guwahati drain mishap

Guwahati, Sept 5: Within 40 hours of the death of a three-year-old boy who fell into an open drain at Kalapahar, Guwahati Police arrested three officials of the construction company responsible for the project.

Fatasil Police confirmed the arrest of Avinash Bhatia, Director of Bhartia Infra Projects Ltd (BIPL), Kaushik Gogoi, Safety Engineer, and Prasannajit Pathak, Deputy Project Manager.

The arrests followed an FIR lodged by the victim’s father, who accused the company of gross negligence.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP (West) Padmanabh Barua, said the drain construction was being carried out under the supervision of the Public Works Department (PWD).

“So far, three people have been arrested. More arrests may follow if required. Everyone has seen the incident on CCTV footage,” Barua said.

This is not the first allegation of negligence against BIPL. Just a month ago, a man reportedly died of electrocution at another project site, with an FIR already under investigation. Despite this, the company allegedly failed to improve safety measures.

Residents further alleged that BIPL only laid slabs over drains when given extra payment. Police said this claim would also be investigated.

“Development work is necessary, but ensuring safety is the contractor’s responsibility,” DCP Barua stressed.

Shockingly, more than 40 hours after the fatal accident, the drain where the child fell remained uncovered.

Neither the contractor nor the concerned authorities had sealed the danger spot, sparking public outrage over continuing negligence.