Delhi Police have arrested a sub-contractor, in connection with the death of a biker who fell into a 15-foot-deep pit dug by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in Janakpuri.
The sub-contractor, Rajesh Prajapati, was arrested after investigations revealed that he failed to take any action despite being informed about the incident hours earlier.
The victim, Kamal Dhyani, an employee at a private bank in Rohini’s Sector 10, was returning home when he fell into the pit, which had been dug for a sewer pipeline rehabilitation project, on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
According to investigators, a family passing by noticed Dhyani lying in the pit and alerted a nearby security guard and a person living in a tent at the site. The security guard then informed a junior staff member, who called Prajapati and asked him to come to the scene.
By 12:30 am, Prajapati arrived at the site, saw the victim and his motorcycle inside the pit, but instead of informing authorities or taking action, he left and went back home, officials said.
Meanwhile, Delhi Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood announced on Saturday that the government had suspended the officials suspected of negligence in connection with the incident. Sood added that a committee had been formed following his visit to the site on Friday morning.
"If any DJB officials are found guilty during the inquiry, cases will be registered against them as well. Legal action is also being taken against the contractor for negligence, and arrests are being carried out as part of the ongoing police action," he said.
An FIR has already been registered at Janakpuri Police Station under section 105 (culpable homicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the contractor and concerned DJB officials.
The FIR noted that the pit was left open without any safety arrangements to alert road users. "There was no barricading, no warning sign or security guard deployed at the site despite the pit being dug in the middle of the road," it said.