A 20-year-old man and his 14-year-old cousin were killed after their motorcycle was hit by a truck on Ashoka Road in New Delhi on Monday evening, just 10 meters from the Delhi Police headquarters and Parliament Street police station. The driver fled the scene.
The victims, residents of Ashok Nagar in west Delhi, had attended an IPL match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium and were returning home when their Royal Enfield Bullet was hit by a truck. The 20-year-old was riding the motorcycle while the minor was behind and talking to his father on the phone at the time of the accident.
The family alleged negligence, claiming that police arrived at the scene about 30 minutes later and only then took their injured cousins to hospital.
Police refuted the allegations, saying the PCR call was received around 11pm and officers arrived at the scene within minutes and immediately took the injured to hospital.
Officers said on Tuesday that the driver had been identified and efforts were underway to arrest him. The truck was seized in east Delhi and its owner is being interrogated.
“The police control room was alerted about the incident on Monday night. The incident occurred on Ashoka Road, opposite PNB Complex. We found a motorcycle on the side of the road, while the offending vehicle, a goods carrier, escaped. Two persons were found unconscious and were taken to hospital, where they were declared brought dead,” said Sachin Sharma, DCP (New Delhi).
The crime team was called to the area and forensic evidence was collected. The bodies were taken to the RML morgue. “The offending vehicle has been identified and efforts are being made to arrest the driver. Further investigations are underway,” the DCP said.
The 20-year-old was a BA student in a college affiliated with Delhi University, while his minor cousin was a Class 10 student in a school in Punjabi Bagh. The family runs a dry fruits wholesale business supplying to major food chains in and around Delhi.
The family members, who spoke at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, alleged that the police were late in responding.
A family friend told HT, “Both the children died, due to the negligence of the Delhi Police. The accident happened around 10:27 pm in a high-security area, but the police arrived just 20-30 minutes later. Their bike sustained almost no damage…No one was speeding. The accused deliberately crushed the two boys and escaped.”
Speaking to HT, the minor’s father said, “He was talking to me and said the match was very interesting. He said they would be home in half an hour. Then I heard a loud sound and my son stopped answering. I waited for some time on the call. After a few minutes, a man picked up the phone and told me that my son was injured. I rushed to the spot and found that the boys were lying there for 20-30 minutes before the police arrived.”
The 20-year-old played in several city-level cricket tournaments and was a net bowler for the Delhi Capitals player, the family said. The 14-year-old was also fond of cricket and often played with his cousin.
The minor was due to turn 15 in three days. The family said the injuries were serious and claimed that the police did not show them CCTV footage from the scene.
Another family friend said: “He had just passed his ninth grade exams and was excited. He was looking forward to pursuing cricket and helping in the family business.”
