A magisterial-level inquiry has been initiated into the death of an elderly man at Pathsala in Assam’s Barpeta district.

The inquiry was directed by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Barpeta, Mridul Kumar Das on Tuesday. The inquiry will be led by magistrate Urmi Medhi, sources said.

Notably, a 74-year-old man died after falling into an uncovered sewer at Pathsala town on Monday. The deceased person was identified as Aswani Kumar Thakuria, a retired police sub-inspector. He was rushed to the Pathsala Hospital in a critical condition. He was referred to the Barpeta Medical College where he was declared dead, sources said.

Eyewitnesses said that Thakuria was walking along Pathsala College Road when he fell into the sewer. He was unable to climb out and drowned.

Meanwhile, a show cause notice has been issued to an engineer named Jatin Talukdar in connection with the incident, sources said. The Pathshala Municipality has also issued a notice against two engineers

Right after the incident, massive outrage sparked among locals who blamed the Pathshala municipality for failing to maintain the sewer and for ignoring repeated complaints about its poor condition.