A motorcyclist was killed after his bike plunged into a pit dug for construction work by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in west Delhi’s Janakpuri area, police said on Friday. The Delhi government has ordered a probe into the incident.
Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood said the government has sought a detailed report on the circumstances that led to the death.
The victim, identified as Kamal, a resident of Kailashpuri, was found dead inside the pit along with his motorcycle early Friday morning. He worked at the call centre of a private bank, PTI reported.
Police received information about the incident around 7 am and rushed to the spot.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the pit was part of an ongoing DJB project and had been barricaded, a senior officer told PTI. Kamal’s family, however, has alleged negligence on the part of the Jal Board and raised suspicion of foul play.
According to relatives, Kamal was returning home late Thursday night from his office in Rohini and was in constant touch with them. When he failed to reach home, the family searched for him through the night and approached several police stations, including Janakpuri, Sagarpur, Vikas Puri and Rohini.
They said they were informed around 7.30 am that Kamal’s body had been recovered from the pit.
Police said all angles, including the allegations raised by the family, are being examined to ascertain the exact sequence of events.
Meanwhile, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised the Delhi government in a post on X, alleging negligence and linking the death to earlier similar incidents involving open construction pits.
"This tragedy was waiting to happen. Inspite of complaints, this death trap was not properly barricaded to prevent loss of lives. Imagine the family and small kids of this man who must have been waiting all night for him, anxious for him to return home. And they will wait for their lives now," the AAP leader wrote on X.
The incident comes weeks after a 27-year-old software engineer died after his car fell into a waterlogged pit near a construction site in Noida’s Sector 150, renewing concerns over safety at construction sites and on under-construction roads.
(With inputs from PTI)