Labourer held for not alerting police to biker’s accident

Delhi Police on Sunday arrested a 23-year-old labourer in connection with the death of 25-year-old biker Kamal Dhyani after falling into a 14-foot-deep pit dug by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) for sewer works in west Delhi’s Janakpuri on Friday.

According to the police, Yogesh, who hails from Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad, was aware of the accident but instead of alerting the police, he fled the scene.

The police said Mr. Yogesh had informed DJB subcontractor Rajesh Prajapati about the accident. Mr. Prajapati was arrested a day earlier for allegedly failing to report the incident. A Duty Magistrate remanded him in one-day police custody on Sunday.

Pit covered with sheets

The entire stretch of Professor Joginder Singh Marg – along which the pit was dug – was closed for traffic. There was heavy police deployment at both ends of the road. DJB officials were also present at the site. The pit was covered with blue tin sheets to prevent further accidents.

According to locals, the sewerage pipes were laid one year ago and work was being done in patches. The pit was dug up on the same day the accident took place and two more ditches were dug up a few months ago, they said.

“Due to ongoing work, the entire stretch was closed and covered with green mesh. Locals knew that the stretch was out of bounds,” said the owner of a coffee shop near the site.

However, the road was not entirely inaccessible. According to the coffee shop owner, children to sometimes play cricket in the areas where work was going on. “Children used to come here to play cricket, but there were no motorists,” the owner said.

“There were two barricades near the pit on the side of the road that leads to a T-point. There was a three-foot-wide gap between those two barricades,” said Altaf Alam, Dhyani’s friend.

“Something was amiss at the site, which led to his [Dhyani’s] fall. Why would a person who follows the same route every day head into a pit? If the DJB had properly put up barricades, he would not have fallen. Why were there no lights, signboards, or guards at the site?” Mr. Alam said.