Death Traps in Plain Sight: Open Trenches, Pits and Tanks Snatch Young Lives Across Uttar Pradesh

BK Singh

What began as a small dream fulfilled ended in a horror no parent should ever witness.

Twelve-year-old Kanhaiya Chaurasia had waited eagerly for his new bicycle. His father, Shyam Sunder — a vegetable vendor in Mundera, Gorakhpur — had borrowed money to buy it for him just four days earlier. The Class V student could not stop smiling as he rode alongside his friends through the narrow lanes of the locality.

On Wednesday evening, barely two kilometres from home in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, that joy was shattered.

Kanhaiya lost balance and fell into an open cable trench. Inside the pit, iron rods were protruding upward. They pierced deep into his abdomen. Residents rushed him to the hospital, but the child could not be saved.

His father says what happened was not an accident — it was negligence.

“If a trench is dug, it must be covered or barricaded,” he said, his voice heavy with grief. “Nothing was done. And it cost my son his life.”

The family alleges that the trench was left exposed by the Gorakhpur Development Authority (GDA) and the district administration. Officials claim the trench had been covered months ago and that slabs may have been removed by miscreants.

An inquiry has been ordered. Disciplinary action has reportedly been initiated against a technical supervisor, and recommendationshave been made against a junior engineer.

The Additional District Magistrate has assured that all open trenches will now be covered, and financial assistance from the Chief Minister’s Discretionary Fund has been sought.

But for Kanhaiya’s parents — both differently abled — assurances offer little comfort. The eldest of three siblings is gone. The bicycle still stands. The house is silent.

A Pattern of Preventable Deaths

This is not an isolated tragedy.

Over the past week, several children across districts have lost their lives after falling into open pits, uncovered tanks, deep drains and construction trenches left unattended.

Only days ago, in Fatehpur district, a young brother and sister stepped out in the morning. Their mother believed they had gone to fetch water nearby.

They never returned. Both had fallen into an exposed structure and died before help could arrive.

Each incident tells the same story — unfinished civic works, missing barricades, uncovered tanks, no warning signs, no monitoring.

And yet, payments are cleared. Contractors are paid. Files are closed.

The question being asked on the streets is simple: if the job was completed on paper, why were death traps left open on the ground?

Public Anger Mounts

Residents in Gorakhpur staged protests, demanding accountability. Social activists and local organizations, including Vyapari Ekta Samiti, have called for strict legal action.

Some have demanded that those responsible be booked under serious criminal sections, arguing that repeated negligence resulting in deaths cannot be brushed aside as routine lapses.

“This is not just carelessness. This is criminal apathy,” one activist said. “How many more children must die before officials and contractors understand their responsibility?”

Police have confirmed an inquiry into Kanhaiya’s death, though an FIR had not been registered at the time of reporting despite a complaint by the family.

The Cost of Apathy

In many of these cases, trenches were dug for cables or pipelines. Tanks were left uncovered. Drains were open after maintenance. Contractors assignedto he work were paid. Supervisors signed off. Departments moved on.

But no one ensured safety.

No barricades. No reflective tape. No warning boards. No monitoring.

For children cycling home, walking to school, or stepping out to play, these gaps become fatal.

And once a life is lost, no suspension order, no compensation cheque, no departmental inquiry can fill the void.

The dead do not return.

They leave behind mothers who wake up calling their names. Fathers who stare at unfinished homework. Siblings who wait at the door.

Can this gap ever be bridged?

Perhaps the only meaningful tribute to these children is uncompromising accountability — so that no civic body, no contractor, no official ever again dares to leave behind a silent death trap on a public road.

Because safety is not a favour. It is a duty.

And neglect, when it kills, must never be treated as routine.

#JusticeForKanhaiya #StopCivicNegligence #ProtectOurChildren #AccountabilityNow #PublicSafetyFirst #UttarPradesh #EndTheApathy