BALASORE: On December 2 last year, Sk Sajituddin (25) of Mirzapur village near Chandipur in Balasore district was killed in a mishap during preparation for the launch of intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) Agni-II + at the Integrated Test Range’s Wheelers Island facility.Sajituddin, a technician, was crushed to death by the wheels of a forklift. He was checking the vehicle, weighing about 10 tonne, which was not moving due to non-release of pressure. Suddenly the pressure was released and the vehicle moved towards him.Though nearly a year has passed since the incident, parents of the victim are yet to get the promised compensation. The defence authorities said he was not a regular employee of the DRDO but his parents are running from pillar to post for financial assistance.His father Sk Haresh said Sajituddin was the only breadwinner of the seven-member family. A school drop-out, Sajituddin was privately working as a mechanic. He was engaged by a contractor to work in the Wheelers Island temporarily.With no agricultural land, Haresh now works in a boat which unloads fish from the trawlers to the shore. “One of my two sons is studying in an ITI and a daughter is taking training in tailoring. While it is difficult to feed the family, how can I meet their study expenses? We are devastated after Sajituddin’s death,” he said.He alleged that the mishap occurred due to the negligence on the part of the vehicle driver. “He should not have started the vehicle when my son was working under it. Instead of inquiring into it and punishing the driver, the DRDO authorities are silent over the matter,” Haresh alleged.While handing over the body of Sajituddin, the local defence authorities and the contractor had assured his parents Rs. 10 lakh compensation. However, Haresh lamented that he had not received a single rupee till now. While the local DRDO authorities are tight-lipped about the issue, none is willing to give the details of the contractor under whom Sajituddin was working.
Comments
0 comment