Birthday boy, friend killed in accident, truck driver held

Relative claims there are no street lights at the accident spot

A 24-year-old B.Tech student and his 23-year-old friend were killed after a truck allegedly rammed their bike at Rohini’s Samaypur Badli on Thursday.

The truck driver has been arrested, the police said.

Mohit Yadav and businessman Jatin Panwar were on their way home around 2 a.m. when they spotted a truck parked in the service lane at Libaspur near the highway and braked. However, a speeding truck rammed the bike from behind, killing Mr. Yadav on the spot. Mr. Panwar, who was still breathing, was taken to Satyawadi Raja Harish Chandra Hospital, where he succumbed to injuries.

Truck driver Md Rafiq was caught by the locals who had rushed to the spot and handed over to the police. Mr. Yadav’s relative alleged there are no street lights on the stretch, which is also riddled with several potholes.

“There is a huge pothole at the spot where the accident happened and there are trucks parked on the way. It is very difficult to anticipate turns,” said 47-year-old relative.

The relative added that the police took Mr. Panwar to a hospital which is over 10 km away instead of one located close to the spot.

“They should have taken him to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital, which is 15 minutes away from the spot, instead of Satyawadi Raja Harish Chandra Hospital. He could have been saved,” he claimed.

Mr. Yadav’s family said it was his birthday on Thursday and they were preparing for a celebration.

“The whole family was preparing to celebrate his birthday and he died the same day. It’s extremely unfortunate,” added the relative.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Rishi Pal remained unavailable for a comment despite repeated attempts to contact him.

In another incident, two men died and one sustained injuries near Punjabi Bagh flyover after they fell off their motorcycle. The deceased, who were residents of Shakur Basti, were allegedly riding without helmets.

Vikas (18), Vickey (35) and Rohit (30) were crossing Ring Road when they lost balance and fell. While Vickey died on the spot, Vikas succumbed to injuries at the hospital. Rohit is still undergoing treatment.

According to preliminary investigations, the accident happened due to negligence while driving. However, the police are checking CCTV footage from the area to ascertain whether the bike was hit by a vehicle.