Gurgaon: Cabbie held for ramming auto driver, dragging him for a km
Other auto drivers at the spot near Iffco Chowk said they chased the cab for nearly six km and got it to stop, before calling the police
An autorickshaw driver was allegedly hit by a cab near Iffco Chowk on Sunday morning and dragged for almost a kilometre before he fell off the vehicle’s bonnet. While the police detained the taxi driver in the morning itself after other auto drivers gave the cab a chase and caught hold of him, he was arrested late evening after a case was registered at the Sector 29 police station. He has been identified as Jaikumar Pandey (40), a Delhi resident.
According to the family of the auto driver, Krishan Singh, he was at the auto stand near Iffco Chowk around 10am when a white Chevrolet Enjoy, said to be associated with a company in Badshahpur, hit him and he landed on the vehicle’s bonnet.
His family members said the cab driver then drove for almost a km on MG Road while he somehow managed to stay on, holding on to the wipers. The cab then took a sharp turn near the Iffco Chowk Metro station, resulting in the 25-year-old falling on the road while the driver sped up the vehicle and fled, his family said.
“Many autos started following the taxi after Krishan was hit. They followed him for over six km and finally stopped him at Cyber Park near Sector 40,” said Subir Singh, Krishan’s uncle.
Krishan’s elder brother Suresh, who also drives a shared auto and was at the same auto stand at the time of the incident, said when he saw Krishan on the bonnet, he started following the taxi.
“I followed the taxi in my auto with three to four other people, but the taxi didn’t stop. The next thing I saw was Krishan lying next to the Iffco Chowk Metro station. I picked him up, put him in my auto and continued to follow the taxi,” he said.
Suresh said they overtook the taxi at Cyber Park and got it to stop and he also called up the police and his relatives.
“We live in Kanhai in Sector 44, which is very close to Cyber Park. I rushed to the spot as soon as I received the call. By then, the auto drivers had called the police,” said Satpal, the victim’s cousin.
Suresh said he took his brother to a hospital while others waited for the police to arrive. According to Satpal, personnel from the Sector 40 police station reached the spot. They seized the taxi and detained the driver, but said that the matter was under Sector 29 police station, he said. They then called assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Raj Kumar to the spot and handed over the taxi driver and the taxi to him, Satpal added.
Krishan’s uncle Subir said the taxi driver was “clearly drunk”. “His eyes were swollen and red, and even when he was caught and slapped by some people, he didn’t react at all,” he said.
“The police didn’t register a complaint. They didn’t even conduct a test on the driver. By the time they register the case, the alcohol content in his body would have gone down,” he said.
He further alleged that when they went down to the Sector 29 police station, the police personnel scolded the auto drivers for slapping the taxi driver.
ASI Raj Kumar said they could register an FIR only after recording the statement of the victim, who was in the hospital.
“We are investigating the case and verifying the facts. But we can’t do anything until a statement is recorded,” he had said in the day.
He also said the allegations against the police were baseless. “We are not threatening any driver,” he said.
Krishan was admitted to Shivam Hospital in Sector 30. His uncle said he has a fracture in his right leg, ligament tear in both the ankles and has been advised bed rest for a month.
Late in the evening, a case was registered at Sector 29 police station under sections 279 (rash driving) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC, said station house officer Vikash Kaushik. The taxi driver has been arrested and his vehicle seized.