Speeding truck runs over people sleeping on road divider in Delhi, four killed

The incident is reported to have taken place around 1.51 am while the truck was crossing the Delhi Transport Corporation Depot traffic light at Seemapuri.
Rugs and blankets belonging to homeless people lie on a road, after a speeding truck mowed down people sleeping on a road divider at Seemapuri area, in New Delhi, Wednesday. (Photo | PTI)
Rugs and blankets belonging to homeless people lie on a road, after a speeding truck mowed down people sleeping on a road divider at Seemapuri area, in New Delhi, Wednesday. (Photo | PTI)

NEW DELHI: Four persons sleeping on a road divider were killed and two others were injured after they were run over by a speeding truck at Seemapuri area of Northeast Delhi early Wednesday. The truck driver, identified by cops as Sudhir Kumar (36) from Bihar, has been arrested from Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district, and the vehicle has been seized too.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) R Sathiyasundaram said the driver was driving rashly and negligently. As per CCTV footage recorded around 1.51am, the truck could be seen mowing down people sleeping on the road divider while crossing a DTC traffic signal and heading towards the DLF-T point, the DCP said.

While two persons were died on the spot, the others were rushed to GTB hospitals, according to police. “Of the four injured, one was declared brought dead by doctors at the hospital, while the other died during treatment,” according to police.

A case has been registered under Indian Penal Code sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 304A (causing death by negligence) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) against the accused driver, police said.

Police said the driver speed away after mowing down the victims. Police formed several teams and analysed CCTVs to trace the vehicle. “We analysed CCTV footage near the area and along the borders. In the footage, we found that that truck was going towards Muzzafarnagar-Shamli in Uttar Pradesh,” said a senior police officer.

The CCTV footage, which has gone viral, also showed the truck hitting an electricity pole causing the street light to go off, after running over the people. The deceased were identified by cops as Kareem (52), Chotte Khan (25), Shah Alam (38) and Rahul (26). Two injured were identified as 16-year-old Manish and 30 year-old Pradeep.

Sources said the truck was coming from the Shahdara flyover side and took a left turn at Apsara border. It later reached near Seemapuri depot after crossing the Seemapuri round about. The driver was going to fill the gas tank and he was scheduled to go to Muzaffarnagar in UP to unload items from the truck, the sources said.

Manish, a resident of Harsh Vihar in Sahibabad, who received injures in his hand, told PTI, “I came near the incident site around 8pm last night to sell scrap items. It took some time and after having dinner, I slept on the divider. The vehicle first ran over my hand and I fell on other side of the divider. It then ran over the other people sleeping on the divider, hit a pole and sped away,” Manish was discharged from the hospital after treatment.

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