PRESS RELEASE

New Delhi, Dated: 7th August, 2015

The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that a labourer, Vijay Kumar, died and another was injured when a huge cement slab, weighing about three tonne, fell on them in a tunnel at an under construction Metro site in West Delhi on the 29th July, 2015.

Issuing a notice to the Managing Director, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, the Commission has observed that the incident, if true, raises questions regarding violation of human rights of the labourers. When the work involved is of such a hazardous nature, safety measures have to be strictly followed and safety of the labourers and other persons working at the site has to be ensured. The officer has been given four weeks time to submit a report in the matter.

According to the media report, after the incident, the two labourers were rushed to nearby Bhagatchandra Hospital where Vijay Kumar, 26 years, was declared brought dead. Jai Prakash, 35 years, was treated for injuries and discharged the same day. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had outsourced the construction work to a company HCC - Samsung. The police registered a case of causing death due to negligence against the contractor.

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