New Delhi, April 09: A 62- YEAR- OLD man survived a high- speed car crash but not the insensitive Delhi Police, who let him bleed to death in east Delhi on Thursday.
Om Dutt Chauhan, who was taking his morning walk, was hit by a BMW car near the Akshardham temple.
Within minutes, a PCR ( police control room) vehicle reached the spot.
But instead of rushing Chauhan to the hospital, the police left the spot with the man driving the car and two other men travelling with him.
The old man was left on the road for more than an hour and died because of excessive bleeding.
The man at the wheel of the car was identified as Raman Singla ( 27), director of a citybased advertising company.
He was trying to overtake a biker near the temple when he hit Chauhan around 6.15 am. Singla was driving towards Nizamuddin along national highway ( NH)- 24.
Witnesses said the car was at high speed and hit the old man while he was crossing the road. The car overturned on impact.
Chauhan had retired from the Delhi Transport Corporation ( DTC) about a year ago, where he served as a technician.
The PCR call about the accident was made at 6.29 am.
As a PCR van is always parked near the Akshardham temple, the police reached the spot within minutes, witnesses said.
“ But they did not take the victim to the hospital. They took the three men in the BMW car towards Mayur Vihar,” Arjun, a family member of the victim, claimed.
As word spread about the police callousness, residents of nearby Pandav Nagar, where the victim lived, rushed to the place where Chauhan lay unconscious.
A huge crowd soon gathered at the spot, shouting slogans against the police.
The angry mob did not let the police take Chauhan’s body to the hospital. The protest continued for more than an hour. After sometime, senior police officers, including additional DCP of east district I. B. Rani reached the spot and tried to pacify the crowd.
“ My father died today because of a callous Delhi Police. He could have been saved had the police rushed him to the hospital in time. I don’t know why the police left him bleeding on the road. Witnesses said he was alive after being hit by the car,” Mahesh, the victim’s son, said.
The police could take the body for postmortem only after 9.30 am. “ We protested because police officers were insensitive.
They don’t understand the value of human life. How can they let a man die on the road? Such policemen should be punished,” Arun, a friend of the victim’s son, demanded.
Chauhan’s family members then marched to the Mandawali police station, where the men in the car had been detained. They protested at the police station.
Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said an inquiry has been ordered into the claims of the family. “ The first PCR vehicle reached the spot at 6.36 am. After some minutes, the second vehicle also reached the spot. By then, around 20 people had gathered at the place. They were angry. They were about to beat the men in the car. That’s why the police whisked them away,” he said.
SWEET SHOP OWNER’S SON WAS DRIVING CAR Raman Singla is the son of Karkardooma- based businessman Baburam Singla. A case of culpable homicide and rash and negligent driving has been registered against him. He was later released on bail.
Raman runs an advertising company, Traffic Media India Ltd. His father runs a big sweets shop in east Delhi. The shop is a landmark in the area, drawing thousands of customers every day.
This is not the first time that the police have been insensitive towards accident victims. Nearly two months ago, an army officer met with an accident near the JNU campus. In that case also the police did not take him to hospital immediately but waited for more than one hour.
—Agencies