In a tragic incident, a six-year-old girl Monday drowned at a foundation trench in the premises of Meghalaya Raj Bhavan, an official said.  Anjali Kumari Singh, the daughter of the Raj Bhavan gardener drowned after she fell down inside the deep trench which was clogged with rainwater, Raj Bhavan official said.

The trenches were dug for construction of a building meant for the residential quarters of Raj Bhavan staff members. “Anjali slipped down inside the trench this morning while she was playing and her body was found floating in the water body by her father,” Raj Bhavan official said requesting anonymity.

He said an internal inquiry into the incident will be announced to ascertain the exact cause of the incident.
The death of the six-year-old girl was close on the heels of Mahi at Manesar in Haryana where the toddler slipped into a 70 feet bore well left carelessly open by the constructor.

“The contractor should have barricaded these deep trenches to prevent unpleasant incident like this today (Anjali’s drowning case). The contractor must be held responsible for today’s incident,” an angry staff Raj Bhavan staff member said.

Superintendent of Police (Shillong City) Mariahom Kharkrang said police have started their investigation into the case.
“The investigation is on and we are still recording statements of Anjali’s family members and others. As of now, we see no foul play in the incident but nonetheless, let us complete our investigation process,” he said.