‘Was lying in pit since yesterday’: What witness said on Delhi labourer who died after falling into Rohini manhole

The incident comes close on the heels of outrage over the Janakpuri death, which led the Delhi government to announce an eight-point safety framework.

Days after a 25-year-old man died after falling into a pit dug for sewer repairs in Delhi’s Janakpuri, another man died after falling into an uncovered manhole in Rohini’s Sector 32, which is maintained by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

The deceased was identified as Birju Kumar, a daily wage labourer from Bihar’s Samastipur district. (ANI)

The deceased was identified as Birju Kumar, a daily wage labourer from Bihar’s Samastipur district. Police said Kumar had been living near the area where the incident occurred.

The incident comes close on the heels of outrage over the Janakpuri death, which led the Delhi government to announce an eight-point safety framework aimed at preventing such incidents in the future.

Man was lying in pit since Monday, claims eyewitness

An eyewitness, who said he dialled 112 to alert the police, claimed that the labourer had been lying in the pit since Monday. He alleged that police reached the spot only after his call, even though the man’s friends had informed the authorities earlier.

“I came to know that a man had fallen into a pit, but the police had not intimated any department. After I reached here, I dialled 112. Following this, the entire department arrived. However, when I first came here, there were already several officials present. The man had been lying in the pit since yesterday. His friends informed the police administration at 4 pm today, but action was taken only after my call,” Tejpal Yadav told news agency ANI.

He said officials arrived at the spot only after his call and hurriedly covered the open drains.

“The incident occurred yesterday. After coming here, we saw that DDA officers had arrived and brought manhole covers with them. They were covering open drains in haste. At that time, only a beat officer was present, and private tankers were also there. When questioned, they told us that the department was still on the way, even though they had been called at 4 pm. I dialled 112, and within 15 minutes the entire department turned up. The body was recovered around 8 to 8.30 pm,” he added.

What did the police say?

Police said they received information about a man falling into a drain at Begumpur police station around 3 pm on Tuesday. Teams from the Delhi Police and the Delhi Fire Services were sent to the spot. Kumar was pulled out of the sewer around 9 pm but was declared dead by doctors.

Deputy commissioner of police (Rohini) Rajeev Ranjan earlier told HT, “We received information about a person falling into a sewer near Mahashakti Kali Mandir in Sector 32, Begumpur. After nearly six hours of effort, the victim was retrieved, but he had already succumbed.”

Officials aware of the probe said Kumar was accompanied by a friend at the time of the incident. During questioning, the friend, identified as Budhan Das, told investigators that he and Kumar had been drinking alcohol for most of the day on Monday, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.

An officer said Das told them he realised Kumar had fallen into the drain only after he regained consciousness on Tuesday afternoon.

Police said the sewer is around 14 feet deep and is maintained by the DDA. Initial checks indicate that the manhole was open at the time, though investigators are still examining this detail.

A case has been registered under sections related to causing death by negligence, and police said witness statements are being recorded.