A night of drinking, a moment of carelessness, and a fatal delay that lasted nearly 19 hours, by the time help reached, it was already too late. Death lurked silently on a deserted stretch of Rohini Sector 32 on Monday evening, but Birju Kumar Rai had no idea he was walking towards it. Holding hands, two friends in a drunken stupor made their way back to their slum after spending most of the day drinking. In the darkness, a sudden scream pierced the silence and Birju disappeared into an open manhole, a deep, pitch-black sewer. Shockingly, his friend was so drunk that he did not even realise that Birju was not with him.
It was only the next afternoon, nearly 19 hours later at 2:30 pm, when the haze of alcohol lifted, that his friend realised Birju
was no longer beside him. Panic followed. By the time the information reached the police and a rescue operation began, hours had already slipped away. When teams finally pulled him out late Tuesday night after hours of effort, Birju was declared dead.
The 32-year-old daily wage labourer from Bihar’s Samastipur had come to Delhi to earn a living and support his family. Instead, his life ended in a pit on a deserted road. Behind him, he leaves an elderly mother and three young children, who now face an uncertain future. For them, the city that promised work and survival has turned into a place of irreversible loss.
According to police, Birju and his friend Budhan Das had been drinking for most of the day on Monday. Around 7:30 pm, while walking back, Birju lost his balance in the darkness and fell straight into the open sewer. Budhan, too intoxicated to comprehend the situation, remained silent through the night. He informed another acquaintance only on Tuesday afternoon after regaining consciousness, causing a massive delay in reporting the accident.
#WATCH | Delhi: A 32-year-old man died after falling into an open drain in Rohini Sector 32, near Mahashakti Kali Temple, last night.
Morning visuals from the spot. pic.twitter.com/TYpumyV3RM
— ANI (@ANI) February 11, 2026
The tragedy comes just days after another fatal fall where a biker died after falling into a sewer pit in Janakpuri, an incident that had already triggered public outrage and forced the government to announce safety measures. Just weeks prior, another fatal tragedy claimed the life of a young man named Yuvraj Mehta, whose car slipped into a deep, water-filled construction pit on a foggy night in Noida’s Sector 150, causing his death.
Yet, in Rohini, another life was lost under similar circumstances. The deep, uncovered manhole on vacant Delhi Development Authority (DDA) land near the Mahashakti Kali Temple in Rohini Sector 32 has become a deadly trap.
Eyewitnesses allege that even after the authorities were informed, the response was slow. A local witness claimed that Birju had been lying in the pit since Monday night. According to him, friends of the deceased had informed the police around 4 pm on Tuesday, but little action followed. He said that when he reached the spot and dialled 112 himself, the response suddenly intensified. Within minutes, departments began arriving, and the rescue effort picked up pace.
“I came to know that a man had fallen into a pit, but the police had not intimated any department. After I reached here, I dialled 112. Following this, the entire department arrived. However, when I first came here, there were already several officials present. The man had been lying in the pit since yesterday. His friends informed the police administration at 4 pm today, but action was taken only after my call,” the man told news agency ANI.
Another local resident, Sunil Kumar, said the manhole lid was open when Birju fell in during the night. “We came to know during lunch time and informed the administration. His family has his mother and three children. The lid was open, and that’s how he fell,” he said.
#WATCH | A man at the spot, Sunil Kumar, says, “The man is Birju Kumar. He originally hailed from Samastipur, Bihar…He had fallen into the open drain at night…We informed the Administration, and they came here and took away the body.” pic.twitter.com/DIBoq7tT36
— ANI (@ANI) February 10, 2026
Police said they received information at Begumpur police station around 3 pm on Tuesday about a man having fallen into a sewer. Teams from Delhi Police and Delhi Fire Services were rushed to the spot. After nearly six hours of effort, Birju was retrieved around 9 pm but had already died, officials said.
Opposition leader Saurabh Bhardwaj launched a sharp attack on the government, calling the situation a “circus”. He accused the government of focusing on photo opportunities and speeches instead of addressing basic civic safety. Meanwhile, Begumpur police have begun investigating which department was responsible for leaving the manhole open.
Q. When and under what circumstances did this accident occur in Rohini Sector 32?
According to police and eyewitnesses, the accident occurred around 7:30 pm on Monday, February 9. Birju Kumar Rai (32) and his friend Budhan Das were returning to their slum after spending the day drinking. On the way, a deep manhole on DDA land was open without a cover. Due to the darkness, Birju lost his balance and fell straight into the deep sewer, which is around 14 feet deep.
Q. Why was there such a delay in information about the accident reaching the authorities?
Birju’s friend, Budhan Das, was heavily intoxicated at the time. He did not realise that Birju had fallen into the drain and did not inform anyone that night. He only understood what had happened after regaining consciousness the next afternoon, on February 10. He then informed another acquaintance, who contacted the police around 2:30-3 pm, leading to a delay of nearly 19 hours.
Q. Was there any negligence on the part of the police and rescue team in the rescue operation?
People present at the scene allege that the administration remained inactive for hours even after receiving information. Eyewitnesses claim that friends had informed the police around 4 pm, but there was little action till later in the evening. They say the rescue response intensified only after repeated calls to 112, following which fire services and other departments arrived and retrieved the body after several hours of effort.
Q. What is the situation of the deceased Birju Kumar’s family and where was he from?
Birju Kumar Rai was a resident of Samastipur district in Bihar and worked as a daily wage labourer in Delhi to support his family. He is survived by his elderly mother and three young children, who depended entirely on his earnings. The family is inconsolable and holds the administration responsible for the tragedy.
Q. What legal action has been taken so far in this incident?
Police have registered a case related to causing death by negligence and are recording witness statements. The body was sent to the hospital after being pulled out of the sewer, where doctors declared him dead. Investigators are examining which department was responsible for the open manhole and whether civic negligence led to the fatal incident.
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