45-year-old woman changing bedsheet plunges 15 feet into hidden Scindia-era chamber as floor caves in at historic house in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind

BHOPAL: A 45-year-old woman fell nearly 15 feet into an underground pit, taking her bed down with her, when the floor of a room collapsed at a historic house in Bhind on Wednesday night.The house, once a Scindia-era administrative court, sits atop an old chamber that was used to store grain collected as tax. She was changing the bedsheet when the ground gave way, said sources.The incident occurred at approximately 9:15 pm at a residence in Girls School Wali Gali. Family members and neighbours rescued her by lowering a ladder into the pit. She was admitted to hospital with injuries, and her condition is reported to be stable.According to the family, the premises functioned as a local administrative court during the Scindia State period and was used for revenue collection and administrative work in the surrounding areas. Grain collected as tax was stored in an underground structure locally known as a “galla khanti.” The cavity that opened on Wednesday is believed to be part of this original structure.The family said their great-grandfather, Pandit Madan Mohan Mishra, served as an honorary magistrate under the Scindia State and was also entrusted with duties related to the Van Khandeshwar Mahadev temple, say locals.The house was reconstructed in the 80s, and the family says the pit was sealed at that time. They suspect that years of water seepage gradually washed away the soil inside the abandoned structure, leaving a hollow beneath the floor that eventually gave way under pressure. Water was found at the bottom of the pit.Most household members were attending an invitation when the accident occurred and returned to find the woman trapped inside. The exact cause of the collapse and the condition of the underground structure have yet to be established.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Bhopal | Silver Rate in Bhopal | Bank Holidays in Bhopal | Public Holidays in Bhopal | Petrol Price in Bhopal | Diesel Price in Bhopal | CNG Price in Bhopal | LPG Price in BhopalStay updated with the latest Bhopal news. Download the TOI App.