Delhi biker dies after plunging into pit; 3 Delhi Jal Board engineers suspended

In a shocking accident on Friday (February 6) in west Delhi’s Janakpuri, a 25-year-old motorcyclist fell into an open pit dug by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and died. The victim, identified as Kamal Dhyani, was riding an Apache RTR 200 and wearing a helmet He was found lying next to his bike at the bottom of the ditch. Images of the scene have since gone viral on social media.

Three DJB engineers were suspended over the fatality, said Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma by late afternoon. Verma, who is also the Delhi PWD Minister, further said strict action will be taken against the company involved in executing the project. He added that the DJB will give compensation to the family of the victim.

Just last month, amid a heavy fog, 27-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta drowned in Noida's Sector 150 as his car fell into an unmarked water-filled ditch at a construction site bordering the road. The road had neither streetlights nor placards to alert motorists of a potentially unsafe 90-degree left turn.

Recently dug pit

"We are suspending three officers — the executive engineer, assistant engineer and junior engineer — it was the duty of the three officers to monitor the progress of the work ongoing here," Verma told reporters.

Work at the site has been ongoing for the last three months, but the pit was dug on Thursday, he said. The Delhi government has ordered a probe into the matter.

Also read: Are governance failures and accountability lapses to blame for Noida techie’s death?

Police said they received a call about the incident around 7 am and rushed to the spot. “We are investigating the matter to ascertain the exact sequence of events,” a senior officer stated.

Delhi Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood said that he has instructed the Jal Board to set up a committee to probe the incident adding that the accused would not be spared.

"It is an unfortunate incident. I stand with the deceased's family at this time of grief. I want to assure the family that I have inspected the site for two hours, and I saw that all security measures were in place,” he said.

AAP MLA slams govt

Reacting to the Janakpuri incident, AAP leader and former MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised the Delhi government in a post on X, writing: “Shocking!!! An innocent biker fell into a deep pothole on the road, got stuck, lay there all night, and died. The BJP government in Delhi has learned nothing from the Noida incident. They just keep lying every day. Janakpuri District Center, Delhi.”

Meanwhile, the victim’s family alleged that he had informed them he was in the Janakpuri district centre area before his phone was switched off.

They said they searched for him across several police stations before learning of the accident.

A Times of India report said Dhyani went missing late last night after leaving home on his motorcycle. When he failed to return, and his phone became unreachable, his family began searching for him and approached several police stations. At around 7am, the police called the family and informed them that his body had been found.