Delhi's Deadly Drains: Janakpuri Pit Horror Repeats, Civic Body’s Apathy Kills Another Man In Rohini

New Delhi: Just four days after a biker died after falling into an uncovered pit in Janakpuri, Delhi witnessed yet another tragedy on Tuesday when a man lost his life after falling into an open drain in Rohini. The back-to-back incidents have once again exposed glaring lapses by civic bodies, whose negligence continues to put public safety at serious risk.

A 32-year-old man was on his way home on Monday night when he fell into the open drain in Rohini Sector 32, near Mahashakti Kali Temple. The victim has been identified as Birju Kumar, who was a labourer. He was a resident of Samastipur district, Bihar.

Manhole Maintained By DDA

Delhi Police have revealed that the sewer that was carelessly left open in Rohini is maintained by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). Birju's friends said that the drain had been constructed by the DDA only few months ago. They lamented that Birju's life may have been saved if the manhole had been covered properly.

Victim Was Drunk

Birju Kumar was drunk when he fell in the sewer, police claimed. Police said that Birju Kumar and his friend, Budhan Das, had partied on Monday night and were returning home in an intoxicated state when the former fell in the open manhole.

Police Alerted 17 Hours Later

The labourer fell in the sewer at around 7:30 pm on Monday. His friend Budhan Das, who was with him during the incident, stated that he did not inform anyone at night because he was intoxicated. Budhan said that he informed about the incident to a friend named Amir Hussain as soon as he regained his senses the next day in the afternoon.

Amir Hussain called the police at around 2:30 pm on Tuesday. Thus, more than 17 hours after Birju fell in the sewer.

Delhi Police said, “A PCR call at 02:36 PM reported a missing person at PS Begumpur, suspected of falling into a sewer on vacant DDA land in Sector-32, Rohini. Police rushed to the spot, where caller Amir Hussain stated that his friend Budhan Das, both labourers, had consumed alcohol last night and at about 07:30 PM Birju lost his control and fell into the manhole while they both were returning to their jhuggi nearby. Budhan Das stated that he did not inform anyone at night as he was intoxicated and informed Amir Hussain as soon as he regained his senses, in afternoon.”

DDA, Fire Brigade, and other agencies were informed. Police team and the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) jointly started rescue efforts after the PCR call. However, the man was found dead after being pulled out of the manhole.

An FIR has been registered against unknown person for negligence and further investigation is underway.

Janakpuri Tragedy

A similar case took place in Janakpuri few days ago when a 25-year-old man named Kamal Dhyani passed away after his motorcycle fell into a 20-foot-deep pit in West Delhi. The uncovered pit in which the young man fell was dug by the Delhi Jal Board during road work in West Delhi's Janakpuri area.

According to the FIR, no warning signs, reflectors, barricades or proper lighting arrangements were present at the site. Further, no security guard had been deployed at the site and the pit was left open in the middle of a public road without any safety measures.

Noida Techie's Death

A 27-year-old software engineer named Yuvraj Mehta was returning home from work when his car collided with a drainage boundary amid dense fog and fell into a waterlogged construction pit in January. The site had reportedly been dug two years ago for the construction of a mall.  After falling in the ditch, Yuvraj desperately struggled to stay alive, before finally succumbing to death hours later.

Many lapses came to light following the death of the innocent man. Visuals from the place where the accident took place showed that there were no lights on the road. As per reports, the street lights are non-functional in the area. Further, there were no reflectors or reflecting signboards. The road turns at an angle of 90 degrees, making it a dangerous route to travel on amid low visibility with no night lights or reflectors to guide commuters.

As per reports, accidents have taken place on the same spot in the past as well. Despite that, authorities had not erected any barricades to prevent commuters from falling in the construction pit. Following the demise of Yuvraj, authorities constructed cement barricades at the spot. The action, if taken earlier, might have stopped the tragic end of Yuvraj Mehta.

After falling in the ditch, Yuvraj desperately struggled to stay alive, before finally succumbing to death hours later. Meanwhile, first responders hesitated to enter the water to save him, citing freezing temperatures and the hazard of submerged construction pillars. 

Who Is At Fault?

The back-to-back tragedies in Delhi-NCR have raised serious questions about systemic lapses by local municipal corporations, private contractors and departments tasked with maintenance and public safety. These incidents reflect a disturbing pattern of weak enforcement of safety norms and institutional apathy, where even basic precautions such as drain lids, barricades, warning signage and proper lightings are ignored.

It is innocent taxpayers who bear the brunt of these failures, losing their lives in accidents that could have easily been prevented had public safety and infrastructure been on the top priority of the government.

Also Read- Delhi Drain Rescue LIVE: Body Of Missing Person Retrieved As Search Concludes In Rohini