32-year-old dies in Rohini after falling into open manhole, second such incident in five days

Delhi witnessed another fatal accident linked to an uncovered drain, with a 32-year-old labourer losing his life after falling into an open manhole on vacant DDA land in Rohini. The incident comes just days after a similar death in Janakpuri.

Police said they received a PCR call at 2.36 pm on Tuesday about a man feared to have fallen into a sewer. A team reached the location and initiated search efforts.

The caller, Amir Hussain from Darbhanga in Bihar, informed officers that his two friends, Birju Kumar Rai, 32, from Samastipur and Budhan Das alias Suraj, 33, from Madhubani, had been drinking on Monday night. Around 7.30 pm, while heading back to their nearby jhuggi cluster, Birju allegedly slipped and fell into the uncovered drain.

According to police, Budhan Das did not immediately report the incident due to intoxication. He contacted Hussain the following afternoon after regaining clarity, prompting the emergency call.

Rescue teams, including the Fire Brigade, were deployed after the DDA and other agencies were informed. The man was pulled out and taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Residents at the scene questioned the timing of the response. Sunil Kumar said the fall occurred during the night and authorities were informed later. Tejpal Yadav, another local of the area, alleged that action was taken only after the emergency call and claimed the victim had remained inside the drain since the previous evening.

Police have begun further investigation. The manhole was covered after the body was recovered.

The death follows the February 5 incident in West Delhi’s Janakpuri, where 25-year-old Kamal Dhayani died after falling into a nearly 15-foot-deep pit while riding his motorcycle.

Last month, 27-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehra died in Greater Noida after his car plunged into a water-filled pit. He reportedly remained stranded atop the submerged vehicle for nearly two hours as rescue teams delayed entry, citing freezing temperatures and submerged iron rods.

The back-to-back incidents have renewed concerns over open drains and unguarded pits across Delhi and the NCR.