In an extremely unfortunate and shocking incident, seven years old Harman Kaur from Hassanpur village in Kharar sub-division of Mohali district lost life after falling into a village pond on Tuesday.
As per villagers, Harman was learning to ride a bicycle, and in the process lost control and fell in the pond at around 3:15 pm. A young girl from the village witnessed the tragedy while returning from college, and called out for help. The villagers reached the spot in five to seven minutes.
“The Police received the call around 3:35 pm. Police and the officers from local administration, including Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Himanshu Jain, rushed to the spot,” said Mohali Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan.
He said that the immediate rescue operation was initiated. “Swimmers from Morinda and other nearby villages were called. Also, with the help of villagers, a motor pump was installed to drain the pond. Meanwhile, NDRF team was also called by the Administration as backup. Green passage was provided to facilitate quick movement of the rescue teams,” he added.
Around 5 pm, swimmers recovered the body from the pond and immediately rushed it to the Civil Hospital where she was declared dead, said Dayalan.
Deputy Commissioner informed that the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has announced Rs two lakhs ex-gratia for the family of the deceased.
After due procedure, the body will be handed over to family in the morning, said the Deputy Commissioner.
Harman was the daughter of Ravinder Singh, a soldier in Indian Army, posted near Baramula. Her mother is a home maker and had three children — two girls and a boy.