Worker falls to death from 7th floor of police HQ

Teen was repairing air conditioner; did not wear any safety gear

An 18-year-old man repairing an air conditioner on the seventh floor of the State police headquarters on Nrupathunga Road fell to his death on Monday. The victim did not wear any safety gear. 

Deepak, along with some of his colleagues, was busy fixing the insulation pipes of air conditioners on the seventh floor of the office of the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) when the incident occurred sometime between 2.30 pm and 2.45 pm, according to police and eyewitnesses. 

“Deepak was outside the building and I was inside. He was taping the pipes when he suddenly fell down,” the victim’s co-worker, Shaikh Arsalan, recounted to Deccan Herald. “I don’t know how it happened but the next moment he was down on the ground.” 

Arsalan said that he and other workers then ran down, carried Deepak into a tempo traveller and drove off to St Martha’s Hospital which is just across the street. 

Deepak was, however, declared brought dead, according to a spokesperson of the hospital. “There were numerous injuries on his head, and fractures in the upper limb, chest ribs and abdomen,” the spokesperson said.
 The victim’s co-workers said their company, Freezpoint Engineers Pvt Ltd — an air conditioner maintenance and repairs firm — did not provide them with any safety gears which could guard them in such accidents. 

Repeated attempts by this newspaper to reach Shanth Kumar, head of the firm, failed as his mobile phone was switched off. 

Meanwhile, the Halasuru Gate police booked a case of causing death by negligence against the company’s owner under Section 304(A) of the IPC. 

Deepak was a resident of Ambdekar Nagar in DJ Halli. According to Nived Reyroth, who was working with Deepak when the incident occurred, the victim had joined the firm recently. 

Deepak’s father Bhaskar is a tile layer and mother Manju a homemaker. He has two sisters:  Deepa is studying BCom and Pritya is in class 10. Deepak had dropped out of school after class 10 because of financial constraints, his neighbour Prabhu said.