The incident took place just before noon on Saturday. According to the preliminary inquiry, the teenager was trying to catch a kite when he accidentally slipped and fell into the drain.
Delhi Fire Services (DFS) officials said two fire tenders along with a rescue team were dispatched to the spot after the fire control room received information about the incident at 11.54am.
A search and rescue operation involving multiple agencies was subsequently launched. However, the boy remained untraced by Saturday evening. Videos that later went viral on social media showed the boy’s father searching through the drain in an attempt to find his son.
Sharing the video, Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “Father is unable to find his 15 year old son…He has probably slipped into open drain while chasing a kite on 22 Aug. The father desperately jumped into drain to find his son.”
The video showed the father sifting through pieces of garbage and throwing them aside while searching for his son.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Vineet Kumar said the fast flow of water in the drain made it difficult to trace the teenager.
“Since the flow of water in the drain was very fast, the boy could not be traced,” the DCP said.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) later joined the search operation. Rescue teams used their equipment in an effort to locate the boy, but the operation was called off on Saturday night because of darkness.
“The team tried its best to trace the boy by using all their equipment but the boy could not be found. Due to darkness the operation was called off on Saturday night,” the DCP said.
The search resumed on Sunday, with rescue teams and divers also deployed to locate the missing teenager.
Following the incident, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) suspended a junior engineer of the South East (Central) Zone, citing alleged dereliction of duty. The MCD said disciplinary proceedings are being initiated against the official.
The incident has led to an ongoing search for the Class 8 student, while the MCD’s disciplinary action has placed the role of the concerned official under scrutiny.
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