A 30-year-old daily wage labourer was killed after falling into an open manhole maintained by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in northwest Delhi’s Rohini Sector 32 late on Monday, police said on Tuesday.
The deceased was identified as Birju Kumar, a native of Bihar’s Samastipur district. Police said Kumar had been living in the vicinity of the accident site.
According to the police, information regarding a man falling into a drain was received at Begumpur police station at around 3pm on Tuesday. Teams from Delhi Police and the Delhi Fire Services rushed to the spot. They said Kumar was eventually pulled out of the sewer around 9pm, but was declared dead.
Deputy commissioner of police (Rohini) Rajeev Ranjan said, “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.”
Police officials familiar with the investigation 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 consuming alcohol for most of the day on Monday.
“They told us they were heavily intoxicated and walking together when Birju allegedly lost his balance and fell into the sewer at around 7.30pm on Monday. His friend claimed he did not immediately realise what had happened due to his inebriated state,” said a police officer aware of the probe. Das, the officer said, told them that it was only after he regained his senses on Tuesday afternoon that he realised Kumar had fallen into the drain.
Police said the sewer into which Kumar fell is around 14 feet deep and is maintained by the DDA. Preliminary inquiries suggest that the manhole was uncovered at the time of the incident. Investigators, however, are examining this aspect of the case.
A case has been registered under sections related to causing death by negligence, and statements of witnesses are being recorded, police said. Officials added that details will also be sought from the concerned civic agencies regarding the maintenance and safety of the sewer line. Kumar’s family has been informed about his death, and his body has been sent for post-mortem examination.
The incident comes days after a similar fatality was reported in west Delhi’s Janakpuri area, where 25-year-old biker 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.