Open manhole death in Rohini: Cops lodge ‘negligence’ case

Locals allege manhole was open for weeks and covered only after incident. Case follows recent Janakpuri sewer pit death that triggered safety concerns across Delhi.

A day after a 32-year-old man’s body was found inside an open manhole in Delhi’s Begampur area, the Delhi Police said they found that the manhole had been open for days and lodged a case against unknown persons on Wednesday.

Victim Birju Kumar Rai fell on DDA land in Rohini Sector 32; area lacked lighting and friend alerted police a day later. Body found after hours-long search by teams. (Sanchit Khanna/HT)

Police identified the deceased as Birju Kumar Rai, a daily wage labourer, who was last seen with his friends on Monday night. Police said he fell into the sewer on vacant Delhi Development Authority (DDA) land in Rohini Sector 32. There were no lights in the area and Rai was drunk. One of his friends, who had consumed liquor with him, witnessed the incident but was “too intoxicated” to call anyone for help.

Rajeev Ranjan, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (Rohini) said, “We received a call about the incident from the victim’s friend, Aamir, on Tuesday at 3 pm. He stated that Rai and another friend, Buddhan Das, were drinking on Monday evening and Das witnessed Rai falling into a manhole while they were returning home. We called Das and he confirmed that he informed Aamir as soon as he regained consciousness on Tuesday afternoon. We started the search along with fire officials and other authorities. The body was found around 9 pm on Tuesday.”

Police said that at the time of incident, there were no other eyewitnesses and they lodged an FIR against an unknown person on charges of causing death by negligence and causing danger/obstruction in a public way

“We have now found that DDA was in charge of the manhole but had not covered it,” said an officer who refused to be named.

When asked about the matter, DDA refused to comment.

Locals at Begampuri said the manhole was uncovered for weeks and the DDA covered it with a lid and bricks as soon as they learned about the incident. Before this, they did not pay heed to complaints.

Tejpal Yadav, a local, said, “I came to know that a man had fallen into a pit but the police had not informed any department initially and were searching at 3 pm. After I reached here, I called the police again. Following this, the entire department arrived. The man had been in the pit for more than a day. Even his friends informed the police late and the rescue operation took seven hours.”

Yadav alleged that private tankers ply on the vacant ground and work near the sewer lines.

Sunil Kumar, Rai’s friend and another resident, said, “It is dark here and he must not have seen the manhole as he was drunk. He was here for hours before Buddhan finally woke up and told others. He could have been saved...”

Originally from Bihar’s Samastipur, Rai had been living in Delhi for almost 16 years. He is survived by his mother, a sister, wife and their three children who are aged between two and five years.

Jai Kishore Rai, his cousin, said, “ I came to know about the death on Tuesday night. It was a shock. He was the sole breadwinner of the family. His father died long ago, and his mother is suffering from old-age issues. His wife and others stay in Bihar. He wanted to go back to Bihar and settle there.”

The incident comes days after a similar fatality was reported in west Delhi’s Janakpuri area, where 25-year-old Kamal Dhyani died after falling into a deep, uncovered excavation pit dug for sewer repair work by the Delhi Jal Board. Dhyani fell into the nearly 15-foot-deep pit late at night while returning home, leading to widespread outrage.