No barricades or warning signs at Janakpuri pit where biker died, FIR reveals

New Delhi: Delhi Police have said that no barricading, warning signs or security personnel were deployed near a 15-foot-deep pit dug on a road in west Delhi’s Janakpuri, where a 25-year-old man died after falling into it with his motorcycle in the early hours of Friday.

According to the first information report (FIR), the pit had been excavated by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and its contractor on Professor Joginder Singh Marg, near the Andhra School. The excavation was allegedly left open without any safety arrangements to warn road users.

“There was no barricading, no warning sign and no security guard at the site, despite the pit being dug in the middle of the road,” the FIR stated.

Police said a spot inspection carried out after the accident indicated that the authorities concerned were aware of the excavation work but failed to put basic safety measures in place.

“The inspection of the scene clearly suggests that the pit was left open without any protective measures, posing a serious risk to commuters,” the FIR said.

The victim, identified as Kamal Dhyani, an employee of a private bank in Rohini, was returning home on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday when he fell into the pit, which had been dug for a sewer project, police said.

Expressing anger over his son’s death in the Janakpuri accident, Naresh Dhyani said the family is dissatisfied with the government, accusing it of carrying out only temporary fixes while failing to prevent recurring lapses.

He said nothing was done to ensure safety, adding that while the loss cannot be undone, the government must take responsibility and ensure such open pits are not left on roads in future.

ALSO READ | ‘He asked our mother to prepare chapatis...’: Family speaks after 25-year-old’s death in Delhi

The victim was rushed to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital on Friday morning, where doctors declared him dead.

Police have registered a case of culpable homicide against the contractor and officials of the Delhi Jal Board.