Toddler Rescued from Punjab Borewell May have Died of Hypoxia 'Few Days Ago', Suggests Autopsy Report

Chandigarh: The post-mortem report of two-year-old Fatehvir Singh, who was pulled out from a 150-foot-deep unused borewell shaft on Tuesday morning after an unsuccessful rescue operation that lasted over four days, suggested that he died due to hypoxia "a few days back".

The child was rushed to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here, but the doctors declared him brought dead.

A panel of doctors, comprising Dr YS Bansal and Dr Senthil Kumar from the Department of Forensic Medicine at the PGIMER, conducted the post-mortem examination.

"The post-mortem findings are suggestive of death occurring a few days back. A detailed post-mortem report is being prepared and would be handed over to the investigating officer (police official)," the PGIMER said in a statement issued in the afternoon. "The mortal remains of the child were handed over to police and relatives."

PGIMER sources, quoting additional details emerging out of post-mortem, suggested the death took place "a few days back". The cause of the death was suggestive of "hypoxia consequent to suffocation and smothering in a borewell". Hypoxia is deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues.

According to the statement, Fatehvir Singh, son of Sukhwinder Singh, a resident of Bhagwanpura village in Sangrur, was brought to the Advanced Paediatric Centre at the PGIMER at 7.24 am Tuesday.

"On admission, he had no pulse, no respiration and no cardiac activity, hence, the child was declared brought in dead," the statement read.

Later, the police moved a request for the post-mortem examination and submitted inquest papers at the Department of Forensic Medicine, the PGIMER said.

Fatehvir Singh was given a tearful adieu when his last rites were performed in Sangrur in the afternoon. He was pulled out early on Tuesday morning by the National Disaster Response Force, officials said. He was taken to the PGIMER in an ambulance by road.

The only child of his parents, Fatehvir had fallen into the borewell while playing at Bhagwanpura village around 4 pm on June 6.

The borewell was covered with a cloth and the boy accidentally stepped on it. His mother tried to save him, but failed, officials said.

A massive rescue operation was launched to bring the child out, but he could not be saved.