Gurgaon: A nine-year-old girl playing inside her gated residential complex was injured after she fell into a manhole left open on Friday evening, with one leg plunging into the 2ft-deep opening and the other remaining above the ground.Hours later, her father alleged he was assaulted when he went to the maintenance agency’s office seeking CCTV footage of the accident.The incident occurred around 7.15pm on Aug 28. The girl, a resident of Tower F of ROF Ananda in Sector 95, was playing in the complex when she failed to notice the uncovered drainage manhole, which was around 2ft wide and 2ft deep. She returned home crying after the fall.Her family rushed her to hospital. The father said they spent nearly eight hours, from 7.30pm to 3.30am, visiting several private hospitals seeking treatment. According to the family’s complaint, since the girl suffered injuries to her private parts, hospital staff asked them to provide CCTV footage of the accident before proceeding with admission and treatment.The next morning, the father went to the maintenance agency’s office to obtain the recording. He approached an employee, Jitendra, and requested the footage. The father alleged that Jitendra not only refused to share the clip, but also called two men who assaulted him and his brother. A resident who intervened, Rishi Shukla, was also allegedly beaten.The family has blamed the maintenance agency’s estate officer for negligence, alleging that the drainage manhole had been left uncovered. The opening was hurriedly covered after the accident, the father claimed.Police said they had received a complaint and were examining the allegations. CCTV footage, they said, will be checked to establish the sequence of both the child’s fall and the alleged assault.SK Mehta, senior vice-president (operations) and spokesperson for Enviro India, said the maintenance agency had cooperated with authorities and provided the footage. “This was an unfortunate accident involving the young child and we extend our concern to the child and her family,” he added.“We make every effort to ensure that facilities and safety systems under our responsibility are maintained properly and safety protocols are followed,” Mehta said.He added that child safety in common spaces also required collective vigilance and urged parents and guardians to remain attentive to their children.
