A 53-year-old man lost his life while four others were injured when a portion of the Gokulpuri Metro Station boundary wall collapsed in northeast Delhi on Thursday, police said.

The deceased was identified as Vinod Kumar, a resident of Karawal Nagar.

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The injured were identified as Ajit Kumar (21), a resident of Loni, 19-year-old Monu and Sandeep (27), both residents of Gokalpuri and Mohd. Tazir (24), a resident of Loni, suffered minor injuries.

According to police, two motorcycles and scooties each were also damaged in the incident.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced that it will pay a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased.

Anuj Dayal, Principal Executive Director, Corporate Communication, DMRC said an ex gratia is being given by the DMRC to the injured which is Rs 5 lakh for grievous injury and Rs 1 lakh for minor injury.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey, at about 11 am, one portion of the Gokulpuri Metro Station boundary wall (Eastern side) fell down on the road below.

“One person was trapped under the debris and was grievously injured, while others sustained minor injuries. Police personnel with some public help managed to extract the person who was trapped under the debris. He was riding on his scooty when the incident occurred. He was rushed to GTB Hospital,” said the DCP.

The DCP further said a case under relevant sections of law will be registered in this matter. The fire department said the call regarding the incident was received at 11:10 a.m. after which four fire tenders and the rescue teams were rushed to the spot.

“Two persons were taken out from the debris by DFS staff and rushed to a nearby hospital. Some casualties were already sent to hospital by the public before the arrival of the DFS unit,” said the director of Delhi Fire Service (DFS) Atul Garg.

Dayal, while sharing the details about the incident, said, in an incident at the Gokulpuri Metro station on Pink Line, a portion of the station wall towards “Up Platform” fell on the road around 11:04 am today, injuring five persons.

“They were immediately sent to the nearest hospital for medical attention. However, one of the injured has unfortunately
passed away,” Dayal said.

He further said the road was cleared of the debris on an immediate basis within an hour of the incident to ensure seamless traffic movement.

“Two DMRC officials, a Manager and a Junior Engineer from the Civil department have been immediately suspended pending enquiry. The Executive Director\Civil\O&M is at the site for a first-hand assessment of the situation apart from officials from all concerned departments,” the Principal Executive Director, Corporate Communication, DMRC said.

He further said the DMRC officials are at the hospital ensuring all possible assistance to the injured.

“All details regarding the incident have been shared with the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS),” Dayal said.

“As an abundant safety precaution, train services on the small stretch from Maujpur to Shiv Vihar are being run on a single line to attend to the fallen portion towards “Up platform” on Gokulpuri station which has also been temporarily closed. However, train services on the rest of the Pink Line are running normally,” he said.

Dayal further said the DMRC will be further investigating the circumstances leading to this incident to take necessary remedial measures to prevent such unfortunate occurrences in the future.

“Taking immediate cognizance of the unfortunate incident at Gokulpuri, DMRC’s Managing Director, Dr. Vikas Kumar has issued instructions to all the concerned departments in DMRC to conduct rigorous safety checks across the Delhi Metro network,” Dayal added.