Rourkela: Authorities on Friday began a probe into the death of a four-year-old boy after an old display board for a govt project collapsed on him and another minor in Lathikata police station limits on Wednesday afternoon. The deceased was Ayusman Munda of Ataghat village under Hatibandh panchayat. His parents, who work in Bengaluru, had left him in the care of his uncle.On Wednesday afternoon, Ayusman and a 14-year-old boy were playing near the house when the cement display board collapsed on them. Hearing their screams, Ayusman’s grandmother and other family members reached the spot and found both boys injured. Ayusman, who suffered critical injuries, was taken to Rourkela Govt Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. The other boy received treatment.Lathikata police were informed about the incident on Wednesday night. Ayusman’s parents were informed and left Bengaluru for the village on Thursday. After an inquest and postmortem, the child’s body was kept in the morgue until their arrival. The body was handed over to them on Friday.Family members and villagers expressed anguish and questioned why the old, dilapidated board had not been removed. Police said their preliminary inquiry showed that it had been installed around six years ago. The name of the govt work mentioned on it is no longer visible. “After registering an unnatural death case, we are investigating the case,” said Rameswar Singh, IIC, Lathikata police station.Lathikata BDO Manas Kumar Sahoo said he learnt about the incident on Friday and directed Hatibandh panchayat executive officer (PEO) to visit the spot. “I have directed the PEO of Hatibandh panchayat to visit the spot and update me about the display board, including the work and department for which it had been installed,” he said.
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