Hubballi: Six-year-old Kaveri, who fell into a borewell in Junjarwad village of Belagavi district on Saturday evening, was pulled out dead after a rescue operation which lasted for more than 54 hours.

The girl was stuck at a depth of 24 feet in the borewell and efforts to reach her were  hampered by rocks. The foul smell emanating from the borewell since Monday evening had led to doubts about her surviving the mishap. All through the rescue exercise, oxygen was supplied to the girl through a tube under the supervision of Health Department Officials.

The staff of National Disaster Relief Force from Pune, Hatti Gold Mines and the Fire Brigade worked round-the-clock in the rescue operation. The family members of the girl have appealed to the Government to ensure refilling of all defunct borewells and create awareness to prevent such tragedies.

Meanwhile, the Belagavi District Administration has decided to file a criminal case against Shankrappa Hipparagi, the owner of the farm land for his failure to refill the defunct borewell. He fled the village after the tragedy occurred.

Even as Kaveri battled for her life, there was a huge outpouring of sympathy for her parents, 28-year-old Dalit farm labourer Ajit Madar & wife Savita, who are daily wagers struggling to make both ends meet. It was during their search for firewood that Kaveri fell into the borewell while playing in the barren farmland.