3 min readChandigarhJul 1, 2026 09:01 AM IST
The four-year-old boy, who fell into an open borewell in a village in Haryana’s Ambala district Tuesday morning, was declared dead after rescuers pulled him out following a 21-hour operation early Wednesday.
According to officials, Nirbhay was taken out of the borewell in Dhanaura village around 3.30 am after multiple attempts were made by the Indian Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel to rescue him since Tuesday morning.
Dr Rishipal Singh, Medical Officer, Ambala Civil Hospital, said the child was treated immediately after being rescued from the borewell. He was then taken to the Ambala Civil Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
“The post-mortem examination will reveal the exact cause of death,” Dr Singh added.
Nirbhay’s body will be handed over to his family members after the autopsy.
On Tuesday, Ajay Singh Tomar, Deputy Commissioner, Ambala, said the child was believed to be stuck about 220 feet inside the borewell.
What happened
The police said Tuesday Nirbhay had accompanied his father, Manjeet Singh, to the field to give his grandfather, Karnail Singh, breakfast.
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An officer said Manjeet arrived at the field and got to work, while Karnail sat down to eat his breakfast. Nirbhay stayed with his grandfather for some time before wandering off to play.
“He noticed an open borewell and began throwing clumps of soil into it. Hearing the sound echoing from deep inside, he leaned over to look into the borewell. Apparently, the edges of the borewell were wet and slippery, and the child is suspected to have slipped into the borewell,” the police officer said.
After Karnail heard his grandchild fall into the borewell, he, Manjeet, and other villagers tried to rescue the child on their own. They called the police helpline at around 7.30 am.
The officer said they informed the fire brigade, and later NDRF and Army personnel were also called in to launch the full-scale rescue operation.
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Deputy Commissioner Tomar said Tuesday that they will take action against the owner of the borewell.
“That person is liable to face action for this negligent act of keeping the borewell open. A piece of tile, a brick, a concrete slab, or even a jute bag could have been enough to cover this 9-inch borewell. If the person had taken these precautions and covered the borewell, this situation would not have arisen,” the deputy commissioner said.
Tomar also appealed to farmers who have borewells in their fields to keep them covered.