Nine days after rescuers failed to pull two-year-old Fatehveer Singh alive out of a 125-feet-borewell, questions continue to swirl about the administration’s failure to act in time to save a young life. On Thursday, those questions threatened to manifest themselves in a protest against the government during a bhog ceremony scheduled for Fatehveer. But in the end, the prayer meeting went off peacefully at Grain Mandi at Sunam. The family and hundreds who had gathered at the Grain Mandi paid their last tributes to the child at his bhog ceremony.
Fatehveer’s grandfather, Rohi Singh, said that he will not blame the administration for the boy’s death and that his only regret was that it took too long to pull his body despite their (administration’s) best efforts.
Other family members too said that it was “fate” that was responsible for snatching away the boy from them. “We are left with nothing except his memories. It is too difficult to forget his face, his naughtiness and words he had started speaking recently. On that fateful day (June 6), I had taken him for a motorbike ride. He would tell his grandmother to prepare choori for him. We do not want any monetary compensation. He was our only child and we are financially well-off. We do not need any money in his name. The only regret is that it took too long to take him out. The administration put in their best efforts but still it took five days…,” the grandfather said.
Denying that borewell was ‘open’ that day, he added, “It was covered with bricks and a gunny bag that day too. Fateh’s mother was there… It was fate.. it was written, so it happened…”