NEW DELHI: A Police Control Room (PCR) van ploughed into a roadside tea stall in Mandir Marg early Thursday, killing a 55-year-old physically challenged vendor and sparking outrage among residents who alleged that the cops were drunk.
The victim, identified by police as Gangaram Tiwari, was asleep at his small tea shop when the van struck the stall at around 5 am, a senior officer said. Tiwari, who had limited mobility, suffered fatal head injuries. Witnesses said the vehicle ran over him. The body has been sent for post-mortem.
Constable Khimlesh, the van’s driver, has been arrested and an assistant sub-inspector placed under suspension. Police said the driver told investi gators he had pressed the accelerator instead of the brake.
Tiwari’s son contradicted police accounts, alleging that the cops were intoxicated. “There were two cops and a woman in the van. They were intoxicated and the vehicle climbed the roadside ramp, running over my father. Empty liquor bottles were also found in the van,” he claimed.
Police, however, maintained that medical reports showed no traces of alcohol in the cops. Cops are expected to examine CCTV footage and forensically inspect the vehicle to corroborate the conflicting claims.
Vishwanath Shukla, Tiwari’s cousin, said. “We come from Gonda in Uttar Pradesh. My cousin had three unmarried daughters and a physically challenged son. Who will support them now?”
Local shopkeepers said that the cops were also regulars at the tea stall. “We tried to stop them from escaping and noticed liquor bottles inside the vehicle,” said Vinod Yadav, who runs a stall nearby, adding when people confronted the policemen, one of them pointed a pistol at a man’s head.