Dhaka: The High Court on Sunday issued a rule asking the government to explain why it should not be asked to pay Tk 30 lakh as compensation to the family of child Jihad, who died after he slipped into the deep pipe of an abandoned railway pump at Shahjahanpur Railway Colony in Dhaka, 51 days back.

An HC division bench comprising Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Ejarul Haque Akondo passed the order after a preliminary hearing on a public interest litigation writ petition (PIL) filed by a lawyer.

Twenty-three hours into his fall, the body of four-year-old was recovered by a volunteer group from the deep well shaft using indigenous tool on 26 December 2014 despite the Fire Service and Civil Defence authorities repeated claim during rescue operation that there was no one inside trapped.

Besides, the HC also issued rule asking the government to explain why the failure of the government authorities concerned to rescue Jihad should not be declared illegal.

Apart from it, the HC asked the Fire Service and Civil Defence authorities to submit a report before it about the information of necessary equipment purchased for instant rescue operation like that of the trap disaster along with training scheme in the last two years.

Besides, the HC asked the Railway and Wasa authorities to furnish separate lists of their unprotected pipe, lidless pipe-hole, manhole, sewerage pipe across the country in three months.

Barrister Abdul Halim, representing Children Charity Bangladesh Foundation (CCBF), filed the PIL writ petition seeking compensation for the tragic incident.