2-year-old Sujith Wilson laid to rest at Pudur cemetery

The final rites of two-year-old Sujith Wilson were conducted by his family in Nadukattipatti village near Manapparai town of Trichy on Tuesday (October 29) morning, hours after his decomposed body was recovered from the borewell he had fallen into on Friday (October 25). The borewell, into which he fell, was also closed thereafter.

More than 80 hours of rescue work, which was in full swing till Monday night was stopped after foul smell started emanating from the borewell the child was trapped in.

Commissioner of Revenue Administration Radhakrishnan said those posted near the borewell observed foul smell around 10.30 pm on Monday following which medical personnel and teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) assessed the situation.

Radhakrishnan announced Sujith’s demise at around 2.30 am on Tuesday.

Later at around 4 am, rescue officials recovered Sujith’s decomposed body. The child was “dismembered” and in a “highly decomposed” state, Radhakrishnan said.

His body was handed over to his family after an autopsy at Manapparai Government Hospital.

Sujith Wilson had fallen into the disused farm borewell while playing near his house in Nadukattupatti on Friday evening, and various central and state agencies were called in to rescue him.

Although the child was initially trapped at a depth of 26 ft in the 600 ft-deep borewell, he further sank to 88ft after attempts to pull him up using a rope failed.

Prayers were held by various sections of society for the child’s early rescue, while leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi wished the wellbeing of the child.

Earlier on Monday, a heavy German-made drilling machine was deployed to dig a parallel shaft to reach the boy stuck at a depth of 88 feet, but rescue efforts were hampered by rocky soil and rain. Two Fire and Rescue Services personnel were lowered into the freshly drilled shaft, using a ladder and with all necessary support like oxygen, for initial assessment of the condition inside.

Condolences pour in 

Messages poured in from across the country condoling the death of the child. Twitter which for the past three days was replete with messages praying for Sujith’s safe rescue trended with the hashtag #RIPSujith.

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palanisamy expressed his condolences to the parents and the relatives of Sujith.

“I’m sorry to hear about the passing of baby Sujith. My condolences to his grieving parents and his family,” tweeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Others leaders from the state who conveyed their condolences to the bereaved family were DMK chief MK Stalin, TTV Dhinakaran and Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan.

“What would I say to condole Sujith’s parents? His loss is not a loss to his family, but to the country. He would never vanish from our memories,” the DMK leader tweeted in Tamil.

நான்கு நாட்களாக நாட்டையே ஏக்கத்தில் தவிக்கவிட்ட சுஜித் நமக்கு நிரந்தரச் சோகத்தைக் கொடுத்து போய்விட்டான்.

சுஜித் பெற்றோருக்கு என்ன ஆறுதல் சொல்வது?அவனது இழப்பு தனிப்பட்ட அந்தக் குடும்பத்துக்கு ஏற்பட்ட இழப்பல்ல. நாட்டுக்கு ஏற்பட்ட இழப்பு. சுஜித் நம் நினைவில் என்றும் நீங்க மாட்டான்! https://t.co/gaK8HAC2tS

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) October 29, 2019

எப்படியாவது நலமுடன் வந்துவிடுவான் என்று அனைவரும் எதிர்பார்த்த குழந்தை சுஜித் சடலமாக மீட்டெடுக்கப்பட்டது மனதை உலுக்குகிறது.
குழந்தையை இழந்திருக்கும் பெற்றோருக்கும், குடும்பத்தினருக்கும் ஆறுதல் கூற வார்த்தைகளால் முடியாது.

— TTV Dhinakaran (@TTVDhinakaran) October 29, 2019

குழந்தை சுஜித் இழப்பு மிகுந்த மன வேதனை அளிக்கிறது.
குழந்தையின் இழப்பு இந்த உலகிற்கு பல பாடங்களை கற்பித்து இருக்கின்றது. இனிமேல் இத்தகைய நிகழ்வுகள் நடைபெறாமல் இருப்பதற்கு நாம் அனைவருமே முயற்சி செய்ய வேண்டும். இந்த மரணம் சாதாரணமானது அல்ல…(1/3)

— Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan (@DrTamilisaiGuv) October 29, 2019

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had earlier expressed his concern on the crisis, is yet to respond to the death.

(With inputs from agencies)