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Sanitation worker stabbed to death in Kalyanpuri, family demands govt job
Police are examining the CCTV footage and questioning people in the area to establish the sequence of events and apprehend the suspect.
NEW DELHI: A 28-year-old sanitation worker was allegedly stabbed to death in east Delhi’s Kalyanpuri on Sunday morning, police said.
Police have identified the accused, who is on the run. The victim, identified as Anil Kumar, was working as a helper on a Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) garbage pickup vehicle. Anil was attacked when he and his colleague Gulshan Kumar, the driver of the vehicle, had gone to pick up waste in the morning.
Police said a CCTV camera installed near the spot captured the attack. The footage shows the accused approaching Anil and repeatedly stabbing him. Anil can be seen trying to withstand the assault, while the accused flees from the spot, leaving Anil seriously injured, the footage shows.
“Anil was standing near the vehicle when the accused suddenly attacked him. His colleague, Gulshan, had gone for a smoke when the attack took place,” said a senior police officer.
The incident occurred around 7.30am at Block 20 of Kalyanpuri. Passers-by eventually rushed Anil to Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Police received information about the incident around 8.30am. A case of murder was registered, and a probe launched.
Police suspect the accused had a personal dispute with Gulshan, whom he allegedly believed was speaking to his wife. During the preliminary probe, police said they found that the accused’s wife often spoke to Gulshan, which he objected to. “Gulshan and Anil often went near the woman’s house, and her husband knew about it. He had also told his wife and Gulshan not to speak,” the officer said.
Police suspect that, as Anil and Gulshan resemble each other, the attacker either targeted Anil by mistake or that Anil also spoke to his wife and the accused wanted to take revenge,” the officer said.
The officer said the motive will become clear only after the police arrest the accused.
Anil had been living with his family in Kala Enclave in Khoda Colony, Ghaziabad. His father, Ram Asare, works as a mason. Anil had started working as a helper with the MCD around six months ago through a contractor.
His family and several sanitation workers gathered at LBS Hospital and protested, demanding justice and a government job for Anil’s elder brother, Sunil Kumar.
“We want justice for Anil. He had gone to work in the morning and never came home. His family has lost its earning member,” said his sister Sunita.
“We want the government to provide proper compensation and a job to his elder brother. Our family should not be left helpless,” she added.
A local MLA also reached the hospital in support of protesters. However, the police intervened and pacified the situation.
Police are examining the CCTV footage and questioning people in the area to establish the sequence of events and apprehend the suspect.
