Delhi: Drowned auto driver's brother demands justice, action against erring parties

Authorities should have covered the ditch or at least erected a warning sign by it to prevent people from going near it, said the brother of the auto-rickshaw driver, who drowned in a ditch filled with rainwater near Wazirabad.

Ajit Sharma, 51, was returning home after dropping a passenger in east Delhi's Bhajanpura on Friday when his auto got stuck in a ditch filled with water near Waziarabad. When he got out of it to push the auto, he fell into the ditch and drowned.

It was his father who was informed about the incident by some policemen who visited him home, said 32-year-old Kuldeep Sharma, Ajeet's brother.

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"When police checked the belongings of my brother, they found he lived in Nand Nagri. They came to our home and told us about the incident.

"My father went with them to the spot and later to the hospital. I was at my workplace when got to know about his death and immediately rushed to the GTB hospital," Kuldeep said.

"My brother had dropped a passenger in Bhajanpura and was returning when the incident happened. We want justice for him and his family. Those who were behind the negligence should be held responsible. Government should have covered the area or put barriers there," he said.

Ajit used to live with his family in the Loni area of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Kuldeep said.

Ajit's 21-year-old son Dhruv Vashishth said his father had taken up auto-rickshaw driving after getting fired from a factory job in Jhilmil.

"My father used to work in a tape factory in Jhilmil industrial area. He lost his job in 2012 and started driving an auto. We are three brothers and even have one sister who got married two years ago," said Dhruv, who works at an auto-parts shop in Karol Bagh.

He said his mother also does odd jobs sometimes to support her family.

Ajit's relatives who were present outside the GTB mortuary said he had left his home around 7 am on Friday. The body's post mortem was conducted on Saturday.

The ditch was dug by the Public Works Department to erect a pillar as part of the construction of a flyover. Monsoon rain which hit the city last week filled the ditch with water.

Police said they have registered a case under section 304A (causing death by negligence) and will look for elements of negligence on part of all parties involved, including the PWD.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Joy Tirkey had earlier said a PCR call was received around 3.30 pm on Friday about a man getting drowned in a ditch near the service road alongside Wazirabad Road.

Preliminary inquiry suggested the man did not realise the depth of the ditch, tried to drive over it and drowned accidentally, Tirkey had said.

The auto-rickshaw was found stuck in the ditch and Sharma's body was spotted by a passerby, he had said.