A three-year-old boy has died in Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa district after falling into an open septic tank when his family came to visit the Omkareshwar Temple, officials said on Monday (July 28, 2026). A civic official has been suspended for negligence, they added. 

According to officials, the incident occurred in the early hours of July 24 when Tanush Usrathe, a resident of Nagpur in Maharashtra, arrived in Omkareshwar with his family to visit the famous Jyotirlinga. Shortly after they got off a bus in Brahmpuri, the child moved ahead in poor visibility and fell into an open septic tank.

Speaking to The Hindu, Khandwa district collector Rishav Gupta said that while an engineer who was responsible for clearing out some debris near the tank and covering it with a lid has been suspended, the administration has also found negligence on part of a private lodge in the area and is mulling legal action against both. 

“The lodge had requested permission to pick out certain useful items from the debri of a recently demolished construction. When they were allowed, they delayed the clearing process and the contractor they hired also removed iron rods from the septic tank lid and damaged it. The engineer was responsible for overseeing the work and closing the tank. We are considering action against them all based on preliminary investigation,” he said. 

A government statement said that Sanket Bhondve, Commissioner, Urban Administration and Development Department, has issued orders to suspend Suresh Chandra Patidar, a Sub-Engineer with the Omkareshwar Nagar Parishad, “who was responsible for the accident”.

Another official said that while the child’s father had immediately entered the tank and pulled his son out and taken him to a hospital, he died during treatment as his lungs had filled with contaminated water.

Published – July 28, 2026 07:45 am IST