Tragedy repeats itself: Toddler dies after falling into boiling pot in UP's Sonbhadra, elder sister met similar fate two years ago

NEW DELHI: In a heart-wrenching repeat of a past tragedy, a one-and-a-half-year-old girl died after she accidentally fell into a boiling pot of chickpeas in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district, almost two years after her elder sister lost her life in a similar accident.

The incident occurred around 9 am on Friday in the Duddhi bazaar area, where Shailendra, a native of Jhansi, and his wife run a roadside food stall. Police said the toddler, Priya, was playing near the pot while her parents were momentarily occupied with other chores when she slipped and fell into the hot vessel.

She was rushed to the Duddhi Community Health Centre and later referred to the district hospital, but succumbed to her injuries the same day.

Shailendra buried his daughter the following day near the banks of the Kanhar River. Recalling the painful memory, he said their elder daughter, Saumya, aged about two, had also died two years ago after falling into a hot cooking vessel in a similar accident.

Duddhi SHO Manoj Singh said the matter was not initially reported to the police but came to light later. "An inquiry confirmed it was an accident," he said.