3 min readNew DelhiJun 16, 2025 05:30 AM IST
First published on: Jun 16, 2025 at 05:30 AM IST
Flanked by uprooted trees, a roadside dhabha in South Delhi’s RK Puram wore a deserted look on Sunday morning. Surjanand, who had joined the dhabha just 10 days ago, recalled the moments of horror before the crack of dawn. Two of his co-workers, Ravinder (24) and Bharat (22), were killed when rains and storms hit the Capital. “Four people, including them, worked at the stall with me. We cleaned and shut the dhabha around 1 am, and they all went to sleep,” recounted Surjanand.
Bharat and Ravinder went towards the left side of the stall, set up their fan, and fell asleep on their worn-out cots under the open sky, he said. To the right were the other two workers, including dhaba owner Sunil’s brother Ramesh, who had put up a tarpaulin sheet over their mattresses. Around 3:30 am, thunderstorms struck Delhi, and Bharat and Ravinder ran towards the other side to take shade under the tarpaulin. Surjanand, who was sleeping in another stall nearby, also woke up.
Two trees were toppled amid strong winds, he said. “The tree on the right side fell first. So Bharat and Ravinder ran back towards the shop. But another tree fell in no time, and an electricity wire going through it fell into the water on the street. Both of them were electrocuted… it looked like they died on the spot,” Surjanand recalled.
Both the deceased were from Madhubani in Bihar. According to the police, a PCR call was received at 4:29 am to report the deaths at Vivekanand Marg in R K Puram.
“Upon receipt of the PCR call, the SHO, along with his team, Emergency Officer SI Rohit, Head Constable Om Parkash, and beat staff promptly reached the location and met the caller, Sunil,” said DCP (South West) Amit Goel.
“The victims were sleeping outside the kiosk as usual. Due to heavy rain and storms during the night, the fall of trees damaged an electric wire and caused the current to flow near the premises. Both employees and a street dog were electrocuted,” DCP Goel said.
Seema, 29, who works with Bharat’s mother, Lacho Devi, as a house help in Kotla, said that his mother is inconsolable. “The police called Bharat’s brother in Uttar Pradesh, who then called me around 10 am today. He asked me to go to AIIMS to see his body and also take his mother. But I didn’t tell her he had died till we reached,” she said. Prem Kumar, Ravinder’s cousin, said that he wanted to study further but came to Delhi to earn for the family. “His father is a tailor. He dropped out of school in Class 5 and started working so that he could fund his sister’s and brother’s education. Her sisted just completed her graduation.”
The arrest comes after a 38-year-old woman approached the police in May and filed a complaint. 
Share
