Rescue bid to pull out 6-yr-old on, father says stop operation

Bagalkot, Aug 5: Rescue efforts were on for the third day today to pull out a six-year-old boy trapped in an abandoned borewell at a farm in nearby Sulikeri village, even as his father pleaded for stopping the operation, fearing the worst for his son.

District officials said 70-75 ft trench has been dug so far to gain access to Thimmanna Hatti, who is trapped at a depth of 160 feet in the 300-ft borewell.

Vacuum pump has been brought from Bagalkot Municipal Corporation to clear the mud covering the boy, officials said.

The boy's distraught father Hanumantha Hatti sought stopping the rescue operations to dig a parallel, pit-cum-tunnel in L shape, saying he is almost certain his son is no more.

"I won't get back my son alive after all this that is being done. I should at least save my land for the future of my two daughters," he told reporters, as nearly three lakh cubic metres of mud had been dug covering good part of the farm, which has also been thronged by hundreds of people.

"To get this pit closed, I may have to again go for huge loan. With great difficulty I have come to this decision. Let this work be stopped," he said.

District in-charge Minister S R Patil, who is overseeing the operation, said, "the father is in great pain, He is saying all this may be in emotional mood of not being able to save his son and also seeing his land being dug up."

But, he said, the government "cannot take decision like that. We have a job to do and that is to bring back the boy, for now the rescue operations will continue."

A robotic equipment team lead by Manikanthan from Madurai is being roped in to help in rescue operation, officials said. A similar attempt using robot to pull out the boy failed yesterday.

Thimmanna fell into the borewell in his father's sugarcane field while he was with his cousin on Sunday.