A tragic accident occurred in Gorakhpur on Tuesday night when a 55-year-old labourer fell into an under-construction drain and was impaled by an exposed iron rod. The victim, identified as Hansraj Yadav, a native of Gaura village in Deoria district, had been working at a dairy outlet near Lakshmipur crossing in Padri Bazar for the past four years.
Details of the incident
According to police, Yadav went out to buy vegetables on Tuesday evening. While attempting to cross a partially constructed drain on the road leading to Vyas Nagar Colony, he lost his balance and fell inside. An exposed iron rod inside the drain pierced through his stomach. The entire incident was captured on a nearby CCTV camera.
Eyewitnesses reported that Yadav writhed in pain for nearly five minutes before locals managed to pull him out and rush him to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Witnesses also noted that there was no barricading or warning sign at the construction site despite ongoing work in the area.
Official action taken
District Magistrate Deepak Meena ordered a probe and stated that an FIR had been lodged against the contractor firm CSIL. The Public Works Department suspended junior engineer D K Singh, while departmental action was initiated against assistant engineer Ranjan Singh. An explanation has also been sought from officiating executive engineer Dhruv Agrawal.
An inquiry committee led by ADM City Anjani Kumar Singh has been constituted to investigate the case and determine accountability. The incident has raised serious questions about safety measures at construction sites in the region.
