New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS) A second accused in a biker’s death in a pit in West Delhi’s Janakpuri was on Sunday arrested by the Delhi Police, who hunted him down in Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad, an official said.
The accused, Yogesh, is the supervisor of the site on Joginder Singh Marg, the police said.
He was allegedly present near the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) project pit in which 25-year-old biker Kamal Dhyani, a resident of Delhi’s Kailashpuri, fell to death on Thursday night, the police said.
Investigators suspect that Yogesh was aware of the incident yet he failed to raise an alarm for rescue work and preferred to flee the site.
In a related incident, the project’s sub-contractor Rajesh Prajapati, who was the first person to be arrested for the fatal negligence at the project site, was on Sunday, sent to police custody for a day by a Delhi court.
While producing the accused before the Dwarka Court, the police demanded a three-day remand of the accused.
However, the court only granted one-day police custody.
Taking a strong view of the biker’s death in a ditch in Janakpuri, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, on Saturday, ordered immediate, time-bound action across all departments and issued an eight-point safety directive to all executing agencies to prevent any recurrence.
Expressing deep concern over lapses in safety arrangements at excavation and digging sites, the Chief Minister directed strict enforcement of safety norms and called for fixing clear accountability on officers and contractors.
Meanwhile, fresh details from the FIR exposed serious lapses in safety measures at the project site.
According to the FIR, the pit that was dug as part of a DJB project was left uncovered on the main road without any warning signs, reflectors, barricades, lighting or security arrangements.
The FIR said, “The spot inspection suggests that the incident occurred because the Delhi Jal Board and its contractor failed to cover the pits dug on the main road, did not make adequate safety arrangements during excavation, did not install warning signs or reflectors, and failed to ensure proper lighting.”
The FIR added that the concerned department and contractor were aware that leaving an open pit on a public road without safety measures could lead to loss of life, yet no precautions or security guards were deployed.
–IANS
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