Two railway engineers were killed after a section of earth beneath an under-construction underpass caved in on NH-52 near Dara Ghati in Rajasthan’s Kota district on Thursday evening, officials said. The tragic incident occurred around 8 PM under the Modak police station limits while the engineers were inspecting the construction site.
The deceased were identified as Prabhat Singh (30), a probationary Junior Engineer from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, and Sanjay Kumar Jha (47), a Senior Section Engineer from Dhamaura in Bihar’s West Champaran district.
Kota Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Sourabh Jain told PTI that a section of soil at the under-construction underpass suddenly gave way, trapping the two engineers beneath the debris.
Railway officials said a rescue operation began immediately using JCB machines, and both engineers were taken out within 15 minutes in critical condition.
They were taken to a hospital in Kota, where Prabhat Singh was declared dead on arrival, while Sanjay Kumar Jha later died during treatment, officials added.
What did family members of victims allege?
Family members of the two deceased engineers alleged negligence by the railway authorities. They claimed that the two engineers had been sent for inspection on Eid holiday despite inadequate manpower at the site.
Singh's relatives said he had joined the service only three months ago and was handling major responsibilities during his probation period. They demanded a compensatory job for his wife.
Ravindra Jha, elder brother of Sanjay Kumar Jha, also alleged negligence by the railway authorities, saying sufficient workers were not present at the site during the inspection.
Kota Senior Divisional Commercial Manager reacts
Kota Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Sourabh Jain expressed grief over the deaths and described the incident as unfortunate and rejected allegations of negligence.
He said Sanjay Kumar Jha was overseeing the site and maintained that all required safety measures had been followed. Jain added that compensation would be provided to the victims’ families as per rules and that an inquiry had been ordered into the incident.
Jha had joined the Indian Railways as an engineer in Rajasthan in 2005, his elder brother Ravindra Jha said.
Assistant Sub-Inspector Lakhan Lal of the local police station said Prabhat Singh’s body was handed over to his family after a post-mortem examination at MBS Hospital. The post-mortem of Jha will be conducted after some of his relatives arrive from Bihar, he added.
The underpass, being built at a cost of ₹9.98 crore on the NH-52 stretch near Dara Ghati on the Jhalawar road, is intended to reduce frequent traffic congestion in the area.
