Police said the post-mortem will be conducted on Wednesday.
A 25-year-old cook who worked in the canteen of the Indian Army’s Golf Course was found dead in an artificial pond inside the premises, in Delhi Cantonment Tuesday morning. Police suspect the man “accidentally fell” into the four-five-foot-deep pond. However, his family alleged foul play and called for a probe.
DCP (southwest) Devender Arya said the victim has been identified as Balwant Ram of Chamoli, Uttarakhand. “He was working in the Golf Course canteen. On Monday, he left the canteen at 10.30 pm but did not reach his home in Sagarpur. On Tuesday at 9.45 am, his body was found by the sweeper who made a PCR call. The body was flushed out from the pond and no visible external injury marks were found,” said Arya. Police added that head phones were found plugged in his ears.
According to his family, Balwant had been staying with his sister and her husband Prakash Dhoni in Sagarpur for a year, and had been working in the canteen for a month. “It cannot be an accident as workers told me that security guards would not allow anyone to walk around the pond. There must be some foul play due to which he died,” alleged Dhoni. He added that Balwant got married in April.
Police said preliminary investigation revealed that after eating, all workers left the Golf Course. “The canteen is located about half-a-kilometre away from the main gate…. No eyewitness has come forward, but it appears he fell in the pool accidentally. We are questioning other employees and guards,” said a police officer.
An Army official said, “Balwant was a contractual employee, who was a civilian… It looks like an accident, but investigation will reveal further details.” Police said the post-mortem will be conducted on Wednesday.