A young man in his 40s, a dynamic officer in one of the largest PSUs had come to Delhi on posting just a few days ago and was staying in one of the company Guest Houses. To cut down on commuting time, he decided to shift to another Guest House which was closer to his office. After settling down in the new Guest House on the very first day of his arrival, he got into his casuals, told the caretaker to keep the dinner ready and went out for a walk.
The next day morning when the driver of his official car came, he kept calling him on his mobile only to realise a short while later that the phone, which was going on ringing, was lying in an empty room. The matter of his missing was reported to the police who informed that they had no information except that a dead body was brought to them. The body was that of this young officer. As he had no wallet on his person nor any mobile phone with him, nobody knew who to contact.
He had gone for a walk in a nearby park which happened to have an open man-hole and accidentally fell into it and hit his head while falling. As his hand was still sticking out, some passers-by noticed him and managed to pull him out of the manhole. He was still breathing and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared “Brought Dead.”
The Police did not lodge a FIR as nobody had lodged a complaint. They even told the media that he was drunk and was talking on his mobile while walking. Later being told that his mobile was lying in the Guest House and that he was a strict tee-totaller, they were quick to retrieve their statement. Quite Interesting!
Nowhere in the entire episode, was any responsibility attributed to the civic authorities who had laid this death-trap for this man who was extinguished in the prime of his life due to the negligence and neglect of duty by someone.
A man has lost his life, a wife has lost her husband, children have lost their father and the parents have lost their son…an organisation has lost a capable officer.
Is anybody accountable?
(A real-life incident)
*****
2 comments:
Firstly our police is quite unhelpful. Lodging an FIR is a very difficult task.
Secondly the civic authorities are very callous. Open manholes are death traps and one does read about these accidents.Inspite of precious lives being lost, no one seems to be bothered enough to take corrective action.
The Guest house manager also did not notice that a guest who had requested for dinner, had not returned.
It is a sad reflection of the inefficiency of our systems.
It is not just inefficiency of the system, but a reflection of how callous we are and how we value the life of an individual.
The police are the worst - totally dehumanized and quick to shirk any responsibility if if it does not indict them. Our value system has gone totally topsy-turvy and we have nobody else to blame but ourselves.
Need of the hour is not being critical of the system and others in the system, but a bit of self introspection.
Post a Comment