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'Murder', 'no accountability': Rahul Gandhi, Kejriwal attack BJP govt after Delhi biker's death
Reacting to the incident, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged gross negligence by authorities.
Several opposition leaders on Friday blamed the government for the death of a 25-year-old motorcyclist in west Delhi. The deceased, identified as Kamal Dhyani, was a resident of Kailashpuri, who worked at the call centre of a private bank.
The tragic incident occurred when Dhyani, who was riding his motorcycle home, reportedly fell into a deep pit dug for repair work in Janakpuri late Thursday night.
Reacting to the incident, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged gross negligence by authorities.
In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "The epidemic of greed and negligence plaguing India has claimed another young life today. A son, a dream, the entire world of his parents -- all shattered in an instant."
Calling the incident murder, he added, "This is not an accident. It is murder. The killer is the government that runs away from accountability. The real culprit is not the road, but the irresponsible authority. Because here, no resignations happen, no punishments are meted out and no one's conscience awakens," the Leader of Opposition said.
Referring to other incidents, Gandhi said, "Indore's poisoned water, the road in Noida that took Yuvraj's life, collapsing bridges, colliding trains, suffocating pollution.... #TINA. There Is No Accountability. Until there is accountability, one after another will continue to fall victim to the epidemic of greed."
Also Read | ‘Went to 6 police stations, got no help’: Family of Delhi biker who dies after falling into pit
Kejriwal on Delhi biker death
Former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal also slammed the BJP-led central government, calling the tragedy "not an accident, but murder" caused by "extreme negligence."
In a post on X, Kejriwal wrote, "This is not an accident, but murder. The BJP has learned nothing even from the Noida incident. Extreme negligence and an utterly irresponsible attitude have now become the hallmark of BJP governments, and it is the common people who are paying the price for it. May God grant strength to that family which lost their child due to the government's negligence."
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi President Saurabh Bhardwaj also strongly criticised the government.
"An innocent biker fell into a deep pothole on the road, got stuck, lay there all night, and died. The BJP government in Delhi has learned nothing from the Noida incident. They just keep lying every day. Janakpuri District Center, Delhi," he wrote on X.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate also took to X, "Kamal, a resident of Delhi, was heading home from the office when he encountered a large pothole dug up on the way. Kamal fell into the pothole along with his bike and died. The pothole had been dug by the Delhi Jal Board, but they neither covered it, nor put up any barricades, nor placed a warning board. In the BJP's double-engine government, is this a death or a murder? You tell us," she wrote on X.
Govt and BJP response on biker's death in Janakpuri
Responding to the incident, Delhi Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood said the Delhi government had ordered a probe. Speaking to ANI, he expressed condolences to the family and said action would be taken against those found responsible.
"It is an unfortunate incident. I stand with the deceased's family at this time of grief. I want to assure the family that I have inspected the site for two hours, and I saw that all security measures were in place. Still, I have instructed the Jal Board to form a committee and start an enquiry into the matter. The accused will not be spared... Our government understand's its responsibility. We all stand with the family, and all possible help is being provided... We cannot bring the victim back, but we can try to ensure such incidents are not repeated..." he said.
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said the investigation was still underway.
"The investigation is still underway and we have not received complete information yet. This is a very unfortunate incident...These open pits are the legacy of the opposition. Work is underway to fix them, but it will take some time to bring things back on track," he said.
According to Delhi Police, a woman called the police control room around 8 am, reporting that a man was lying inside a pit about 15 feet deep and was not moving.
"A police team immediately rushed to the spot. A pit had been dug by the Delhi Jal Board, into which Kamal Dhyani fell and unfortunately died," Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Darade Sharad Bhaskar said.
A preliminary investigation suggested the pit was part of a Delhi Jal Board construction site and was barricaded, a senior police officer said.
