Sood meets family of youth who died in Janakpuri pit mishap

Delhi Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood on Sunday met the family of a 25-year-old youth who lost his life after falling into an excavated pit in west Delhi’s Janakpuri.

The minister assured them of strict action against those found responsible and all possible assistance from the Delhi Government. Terming the incident “deeply painful and unacceptable”, the minister said the case was being treated as one involving suspected administrative negligence rather than a routine accident.

During his visit to the family’s residence, Sood expressed condolences and said the government stood firmly with the bereaved family in their pursuit of justice. “This is an extremely tragic incident that has shaken society. The Delhi government will provide every possible support to the victim’s family and ensure that accountability is fixed,” the minister said.

He made it clear that no individual or agency responsible for lapses in public safety would be spared. “If negligence or dereliction of duty is found at any level, strict and exemplary action will be taken. There will be no compromise when it comes to the safety of citizens,” Sood said.

The Janakpuri incident, which occurred earlier this week, involved the death of a young motorcyclist who fell into a deep excavation pit allegedly dug as part of infrastructure-related work. The incident has triggered public outrage and renewed scrutiny of safety measures at construction and excavation sites across the capital, particularly those located along busy roads and in residential areas.

According to the Urban Development Minister, instructions have already been issued for a comprehensive investigation into all aspects of the incident. The probe will examine whether mandatory safety protocols, including barricading, warning signage, and lighting, were properly followed at the site.

Subcontractor’s labourer held for not reporting the fall of a biker killed in a pit

New Delhi: Delhi Police on Sunday arrested a labourer employed by the subcontractor who was held in connection with the death of a 25-year-old biker who fell into an uncovered 15-foot-deep pit in Janakpuri, officials said.

The labourer, identified as Yogesh (23), was arrested for allegedly not informing the police or emergency authorities regarding the biker’s fall and also for misleading the victim’s family when they came inquiring about him, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Darade Sharad Bhaskar said.

Yogesh was present at the spot at the time of the accident and was among the first to become aware that a biker had fallen into the pit dug by the DelhiJal Board (DJB) for a sewer-related project, the DCP said.

“Yogesh had informed the sub-contractor, Rajesh Kumar Prajapati, about the incident during the night but did not alert the police or any emergency agency. When the victim’s family reached the spot later that night, searching for him, Yogesh misled them by claiming he had no knowledge,” the DCP said. Yogesh subsequently fled the area. He was arrested from Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh, the DCP added.

This comes a day after police arrested Prajapati, 47, for failing to inform authorities despite knowing about the fall hours before the police were alerted. The duty magistrate has granted one day of police custody for further investigation.

Police on Saturday said that call detail records showed Yogesh had contacted Prajapati around 12.22 am, following which the sub-contractor reached the site within 15-20 minutes. However, police were informed about the incident only around 8 am the next morning, by which time the biker had died.