Man dies as iron rod pierces abdomen in drain mishap; JE suspended

Gorakhpur: A 55-year-old labourer died in a horrific accident after an exposed iron rod pierced through his abdomen when he fell into an under-construction drain in Gorakhpur on Tuesday night. The victim writhed in pain for nearly five minutes before locals managed to pull him out and rush him to hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

The deceased, identified as Hansraj Yadav, was a native of Gaura village in Deoria district’s Rampur Karkhana area. He had been working at a dairy outlet near Lakshmipur crossing in Padri Bazar for past four years.

According to police, Yadav went out to buy vegetables on Tuesday evening and while attempting to cross a partially constructed drain on the road leading to Vyas Nagar Colony, he lost 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 said there was no barricading or warning sign at the construction site despite ongoing work in the area.

DM Deepak Meena ordered a probe and said an FIR had been lodged against contractor firm CSIL. 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.