A 54-year-old businessman died after falling into an open drain while returning from his evening walk in east Delhi's Mayur Vihar area on Monday.
The victim, Anil Kumar Gupta, was rescued from the manhole by passers-by after hearing his cries of help, police said.
He was taken to a nearby hospital but they refused to admit him. The victim was then rushed to another medical centre where he was declared brought dead. His body has been sent for postmortem.
According to locals, water-logging around the park had made the area slippery.
The victim’s family members, however, accused the Public Works Department (PWD) of negligence.
A PWD official on condition of anonymity said the drains are covered with concrete slabs, but some spaces are left open for cleaning.
He said the slabs were often broken and the iron rods removed and sold by drug addicts.
“We have given complaints to the police in this regard several times,” the official said.
Reacting on the incident, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari accused the PWD and Delhi Jal Board of negligence and urged Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to provide appropriate compensation to the affected family.
(We all love to express ourselves, but how often do we do it in our mother tongue? Here's your chance! This Independence Day, khul ke bol with BOL – Love your Bhasha. Sing, write, perform, spew poetry – whatever you like – in your mother tongue. Send us your BOL atbol@thequint.com or WhatsApp it to 9910181818.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)