Rohini Manhole Death: Negligence Case Filed

New Delhi: A case of causing death due to negligence has been registered after a 30-year-old construction labourer died after allegedly falling into an open sewer manhole in Rohini's Begumpur on Monday. The body of Birju Kumar, from Bihar, was pulled out nearly 24 hours later by a joint team of police and the fire department. The case has been filed under sections 106 (death due to negligence) and 285 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation), said police. Preliminary investigation suggested that the manhole, located on a poorly lit stretch, was left open without any reflective warning sign, cover or barricading, raising questions about safety measures at the plot belonging to Delhi Development Authority.The incident was reported a few days after a 25-year-old youth died after falling into an open DJB pit in Janakpuri.Police said the statements of witnesses were recorded. Kumar, who was allegedly drunk, is survived by wife Suchita and their three children, six-year-old Aayush, four-year-old Aryan and two-year-old Arohi. The family, which lives in a village in Bihar, depended largely on Kumar's earnings. Suchita supplemented the household income through daily-wage work, earning around Rs 150 a day, while Kumar's income supported the family as well as the treatment of his mother, who is mentally unwell.Kapil Rai, the victim's cousin, said he was at a construction site in Haryana's Sohna when Suchita called him after being unable to reach her husband for some time. He began inquiring with acquaintances in Begumpur and later went there. According to him, local construction workers tried to check the manhole with a metal rod but did not find anything. Police were informed and found the body on Tuesday."His father passed away when he was just six months old. From a young age, he began taking up small jobs to support his mother, whose mental health deteriorated after losing her husband," Rai told TOI. "About 10 years ago, he moved to Delhi in search of better-paid work. He earned around Rs 500 a day and regularly sent his savings to the village." He added that the couple used to spend the majority of their earnings on their children's schooling to give them a better future.