New Delhi: Open drains and uncovered sewers are increasingly emerging as a serious public safety threat in the national capital, with yet another fatal incident reported from Rohini Sector 32.
Just days after a 25-year-old man died after falling into a road cave-in in Janakpuri on February 6, a 32-year-old labourer has now lost his life after allegedly falling into an open sewer near a vacant DDA plot in Rohini.
According to a statement issued by Delhi Police, a PCR call was received at 2:32 pm reporting a missing person in the Begumpur police station area. The caller, identified as Aamir Hussain, informed police that his friend Birju Kumar, a native of Samastipur, Bihar, was suspected to have fallen into an open manhole near Sector 32.
Police stated that Birju Kumar and his companions—Budhan Das (33) and Suraj—were returning to their nearby shanty settlement late at night when the victim allegedly lost balance and fell into the sewer. The police claim that the group, reportedly under the influence of alcohol, failed to alert authorities immediately and informed others only the next afternoon.
A rescue operation involving the fire brigade, DDA officials, and police teams was launched. The victim was eventually pulled out and shifted to hospital, where he was declared dead. Further legal procedures are underway.
However, eyewitness accounts from the spot contradict the official timeline. A local resident, Sunil Kumar, claimed the man had fallen into an open nala near Mahashakti Kali Temple and that the body was recovered only after delays. Another witness, Tejpal Yadav, alleged that authorities responded only after he dialled the emergency number 112, stating the victim had remained trapped since the previous night.
The incident has triggered political reactions, with Saurabh Bharadwaj calling the death “deeply shameful” and accusing the Rekha Gupta-led government of administrative failure. In a post on X, Bharadwaj alleged that governance had been reduced to “photo-ops and speeches,” while civic infrastructure continued to collapse.
This is now the second fatal incident in Delhi within a week linked to open drains and sewer negligence, and the third across Delhi-NCR, following a similar death reported earlier in Noida.
Authorities say multiple angles are being examined, including delay in reporting, safety lapses, and the condition of the sewer. The incident has once again brought Delhi’s aging drainage infrastructure and civic accountability under sharp scrutiny.
