A 19-year-old student who had gone out to celebrate his birthday with four of his friends on Wednesday night died after the car they were travelling in rammed a divider near Rajghat early Thursday morning, said the police. Such was the impact that an iron girder broke through the windscreen and emerged through the rear window of the car.
The five youths, aged between 18 and 19, all Delhi University students, were returning from Gurugram, where they had gone to celebrate the birthday of 19-year-old Aishwarya Pandey, who was sitting just behind the driver. Following the crash around 6 a.m., a police team rushed the injured to a medical facility. Pandey, who suffered multiple head injuries, was admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital, where he was put on a ventilator. However, he subsequently succumbed to the injuries.
Apart from Pandey, a native of Etawah in U.P., the other occupants of the car were identified as — Aishwarya Mishra, 19, also an Etawah native and the one driving the car, Keshav Kumar, 19, and Ujjwal, 19, all students of Dayal Singh College; and Krishna, 18, a student of Motilal Nehru College. Apart from Pandey, Mishra and Krishna sustained injuries.
While Mishra was admitted to Ganga Ram Hospital with serious head injuries, Krishna sustained minor injuries and was later discharged.
A senior officer said the police suspect that the students were under the influence of alcohol. “There were cans of beer stuck under the brake and the clutch of the vehicle,” the officer added.
However, a student told the police that Mishra, who was behind the wheel, got distracted while changing the song on his phone and lost control of the vehicle.
A case has been registered under BNS Sections 125(a) (driving in a rash or negligent manner that endangers human life or personal safety) and 281 (driving on a public way in a rash or negligent manner that endangers human life or is likely to cause hurt or injury to others).
Published - September 20, 2024 12:54 am IST