One person was killed and 12 others were injured after a speeding SUV climbed the pavement near the Nigam Bodh Ghat and mowed them down. The errant driver was in an inebriated state during the time of the incident. The locals vandalised the vehicle and turned it upside down before handing over the accused man to police.
According to police, the incident took place around 10.00 pm on Sunday when around 13 people were sleeping on the pavement near the U-turn in Nigam Bodh Ghat area. The deceased has been identified as Ikhraj, a native of Nepal; the injured persons are homeless people.
The Mahindra Quanto was being driven by Rishi Kumar (30), who runs a real estate business in West Delhi area. Kumar was accompanied by his sister-in-law and they were returning from a relative’s house in Jahangirpuri and heading towards their residence at West Vinod Nagar in East Delhi.
Eyewitnesses who were standing near the pavement claimed that in no time the flash of the light from the car came so close and ran over all those who were sleeping. “The driver of the car could not control the vehicle and it only managed to stop after hitting the edge of the pavement,” said one of the eyewitnesses. They also alleged that the occupants of the car tried fleeing but were nabbed by the locals who also damaged the vehicle and turned it upside down. Police was informed and a team was rushed to the spot. “The injured were rushed to various hospitals in the area. One of them succumbed to his injuries by morning. A case of rash and negligent driving causing death has been registered at Kashmere Gate police station. The car has been seized by police. The accused tested positive for alcohol,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Madhur Verma. The car belonged to Kumar’s brother,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Madhur Verma.
The 12 injured were taken to four different hospitals based on the severity of their injuries. Three were taken to Hindu Rao Hospital and two, namely Anil and Naresh, were discharged after sufficient medical aid. However, one of them, identified by the hospital as Prithviraj, was referred to lok Nayak Hospital after he was found to have sustained a hip fracture. “They were brought into the hospital at around 11 pm and discharged around 2.30 am,” said the duty officer at the hospital.
Four patients were taken to Aruna Asif Ali Hospital. “Vipul, Gautam, Santosh and Ranjit were brought in after the accident. Vipul and Gautam were referred to the orthopaedic and surgery departments while Santosh was only referred to the orthopaedic department. Ranjit was discharged right away as he didn’t sustain too many injuries. The others were sent home packing,” said the Chief Medical Officer stationed at the emergency of the hospital. The rest of the injured were taken to Sushruta Trauma Centre as their injuries were severe. The authorities at the Trauma Centre said that all the injured had been shifted to lok Nayak Hospital. However, lNJP only had one patient’s record named Bansi who had been admitted in the orthopaedic ward. His condition was however stable, said the hospital officials.