Pataudi: Man dies after soil caves in at construction site

A 55-year-old man was buried under soil while checking a leak in a 10-foot pit. Police registered a case of negligence after family’s complaint.

A 55-year-old man was allegedly suffocated to death after being buried in a soil cave-in at a private construction site in Uncha Majra village, Pataudi, on Tuesday evening, police said.

Family of Vijay Kumar alleged he was coerced into entering a deep pit at a private site. Locals took half an hour to pull him out; FIR filed. (HT Photo)

The deceased, identified as Vijay Kumar, a local, had been working as a plumber in the area for the past three decades, police said. The incident took place between 5pm and 5.10pm when Kumar climbed down into a 10-foot-deep pit dug using an earthmover to check for a suspected water pipeline leakage, they added. 

Investigators said the soil on the edge of the trench suddenly caved in, half-filling the pit and burying Kumar inside. People supervising the repair work raised an alarm, following which locals gathered at the site and began removing the soil with their hands and shovels. 

Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said it took locals over half an hour of effort to reach Kumar and pull him out. “He was rushed to the community health centre in Pataudi, where doctors declared him dead,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Ravi Dutt, 57, the deceased’s elder brother, alleged that two men who wanted to avail his services at the site had coerced Kumar into working at the site. “My brother had refused to work at the site for the last three days. However, they again approached him on Tuesday evening and took him away to fix the water leakage. He was forced to enter the trench without any safety gear,” Dutt said. 

He further alleged that the duo neither informed police nor called in an excavator for a quicker rescue. “Even after pulling him out, they left him at the spot for almost 45 minutes before taking him to a doctor,” Dutt added. 

Based on Dutt’s complaint, an FIR was registered against the two men under Section 106 (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Pataudi police station on Tuesday night. Turan said the investigation is underway and “action will be taken after evidence is verified.” Kumar’s body was handed over to his family after an autopsy on Wednesday. 

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