On the eve of April 13, a 14-year-old boy and his friend walked into an empty plot located in Kumbara Koppal in Mysuru, to attend to nature’s call.

Little did they know that they were walking into loose soil with a high concentration of chemical waste, which had been dumped illegally.

Both the boys, Harshal and Manoj, sustained chemical burn injuries. However, Harshal succumbed to them in Mysuru’s KR Hospital on Sunday, while Manoj is still undergoing treatment.

Harshal was a student of Naganahalli Government School and a resident of Syadanahalli in Mysuru city. He succumbed to his injuries at 6pm on Sunday.

“The soil in the empty plot was loose, and industrial chemical waste was dumped illegally there. When the boys had gone to the plot, the sun was setting and it was slightly dark. Hence, they did not realise the presence of chemicals in the soil,” said Mysuru Police Commissioner, A Subrahmanyeshwara Rao.

“The soil is highly inflammable and when Harshal got stuck, he suffered burns on the lower part of his body. When he tried to push himself up, he suffered burns on his hands as well. His 17-year-old friend, Manoj escaped and called for help,” Rao added.

A few passers-by then rushed the boys to KR Hospital. Harshal was in the ICU for two days and succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. 

Geologists have been deployed to survey the land under the supervision of Tahsildar Ramesh Babu. The survey report has been submitted to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and also Mysuru Deputy Commissioner. A probe has been initiated to find out which industries were dumping waste on the plot.