RMC employees booked after death of 25-yr-old in trench dug up on road

Police booked “employees concerned of the RMC”under IPC section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) late that night after Thakkar’s father Ashwin Thakkar filed a complaint with Gandhigram police station.

“The complainant alleges that his son died due to the trench dug by the RMC and not barricading it properly. Accordingly, we have booked RMC employees,” inspector SS Rana, incharge of Gandhigram police station, told The Indian Express on Sunday.

On Friday, Rajkot municipal commissioner Amit Arora told The Indian Express that the trench was dug by a private contractor hired by the RMC to prepare a foundation of pillars for installing height barriers to allow launch of girders on another bridge on Kalavad Road. The commissioner added that he had directed the vigilance department and city engineer looking after bridges of the the RMC to conduct an inquiry into the incident and file a report.

In his complaint, 52-year-old Ashwin, who is into wholesale of chocolates, that his son was on his way to an optical showroom at Indira Circle, a few metres away from the place of accident, and that Harsh had got that job just four days ago. Someone had dialled Ashwin from Harsh’s mobile, asking the father to come to the accident site.

“When I asked people around, they informed me that the trench was dug by the RMC. Only a plastic tape was tied on one of its sides. My son’s bike fell into the trench and he died on the spot due to serious injuries after hitting bars (erected) in the trench. Had the RMC done proper barricading around that trench, this incident could have been prevented,” the FIR states, quoting the father.

Rana said that so far no one has been detained or arrested.