‘No safety measures’: 2-year-old dies after falling in open drainage trench in Pune

2 min readPuneUpdated: Jul 3, 2026 02:58 PM IST

According to the complaint filed by the child’s mother, the trench was dug near their house eight to 10 days ago. (AI generated image)

An unidentified contractor has been booked after a two-year-old child fell into an open drainage trench near his house in a village in the Pune district and died last month.

The First Information Report (FIR) was registered against the contractor for causing death by negligence on July 1, after Soham Lakhan Kasbe died on June 30 in Kadam Wak Wasti Gram Panchayat.

“The rainwater used to flow into the basti during the monsoon. So, a drainage ditch had been dug at the villagers’ request. It was filled with rainwater and wastewater from the village. The child fell into it and died,” Pradeep Pawar, Inspector, Loni Kalbhor Police Station, told The Indian Express Friday.

‘He won’t come back now’

According to the complaint filed by the child’s mother, Shilpa Kasbe, the trench was dug near their house eight to 10 days ago. When she asked the JCB driver why the ditch was being dug, he told her it was being dug to prevent village wastewater and rainwater from flowing onto the road, as instructed by the contractor.

“Due to the excavation, a trench three to four feet deep and five feet wide was made on the road leading to our house… The said contractor did not take any measures to drain the water from the pit,” Shilpa said, according to the FIR.

Sushil Kasbe, Soham’s uncle, told The Indian Express, “Our child has died. He will not come back now. His father is a daily wage worker, and we demand that he should at least be given a government job.”

“Who gave the contractor the work? The gram sevak. Who gave the order to the gram sevak? The BDO (Block Development Officer). Who gave the BDO the order? The tehsildar. The case should be registered against all of them. What is the point in an FIR just against the contractor?” Sushil asked.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting.

Professional Background

Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune.

Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics.

Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure.

Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)

His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories:

1. Investigations & Governance

"Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents.

"44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families.

2. Education & Campus Life

Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University.

"Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial.

"Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers.

3. Human Rights & Social Issues

"Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India.

"'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying.

Signature Style

Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty.

X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

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Pune accidents

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