By IANS
New Delhi : Delhi’s Deputy Mayor S.S. Bajwa died Sunday of head injuries after a fall from the terrace of his house, reportedly while trying to fend off an attacking monkey.
Bajwa, 52, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor from Anand Vihar ward, was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Apollo Hospital Saturday with multiple injuries and internal bleeding after falling from the terrace of the first floor of his Anand Vihar residence.
At the time of incident he was alone. He is survived by his wife and a son.
“Doctors at the Apollo hospital declared him dead early this morning. He was cremated around 4.00 p.m. with full honours,” BJP Delhi president Harsh Vardhan said.
Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) spokesperson Deep Mathur told IANS: “We have decided to keep all the schools and offices run by the MCD closed on Monday to mourn the death of Deputy Mayor Bajwa.”
There were conflicting reports of how the mishap occurred. Some said Bajwa was attacked by a monkey on the terrace of his residence, Subhash Arya, the leader of the house, said his foot slipped while he was reading a newspaper.
“He hit a flowerpot on the ground as a result of which he has suffered multiple injuries on his head and back. It is too soon to say how it happened,” Arya had told reporters Saturday.
Harsh Vardhan told IANS that Bajwa died after falling from the terrace of his residence following a monkey attack.
“I am cent percent sure that he died due to the monkey attack. I know him and his family for the past 40 years and I am saying this with full authority,” Harsh Vardhan said, but refused to divulge any details.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (East Delhi) Ajay Chaudhary said: “We have not received any police complaint and are not investigating the matter.”
Meanwhile, Harsh Vardhan said services of foreign experts, if needed could be sought to control the monkey menace in the capital.
“Though we are not setting up any special committee on the issue, we have suggested various brainstorming ideas to revive the efforts to control monkeys and we also take experts’ help in striking balance between human beings and animals in the urban area,” he said.
Earlier this year, the Delhi High court had asked the civic authorities to move all monkeys to the Asola Wildlife Sanctuary within three months. The MCD, which missed the deadline, sought for an extension by a year, which is yet to be granted.