5-year-old’s death in road mishap: Ludhiana cops book neighbour

Police said the case against Harpreet Singh alias Happy was registered following a complaint by the minor’s mother, who alleged the neighbour took her son on a bike ride and deliberately crashed it into an electricity pole following a dispute.

Over three months after the death of a five-year-old boy from Jhorrdan village in a road mishap, the Ludhiana Rural police booked his neighbour on death due to negligence charges, officials said.

Initially parties had reached a settlement as Harpreet’s family offered compensation, however, the child’s family later rejected the amount (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Police said the case against Harpreet Singh alias Happy was registered following a complaint by the minor’s mother, who alleged the neighbour took her son on a bike ride and deliberately crashed it into an electricity pole following a dispute.

The incident occurred on December 18 last year and the next day, the child’s father, Harbans Singh, recorded a statement with the local magistrate, saying that they did not wish to pursue legal action. Consequently, the child’s body was handed over to the family, and the last rites were performed without an autopsy.

However, in an application submitted on February 14 to the Ludhiana Rural senior superintendent of police (SSP), the child’s mother, Sukhwinder Kaur, sought legal action against the neighbour. She accused him of intentionally killing her son. Following an inquiry conducted by Raikot deputy superintendent of police (SSP) and legal consultation with the district attorney, a case was registered on Wednesday, police said.

Sukhwinder alleged that on December 18, Harpreet Singh lured her son with goodies and took him for a bike ride. She claimed that Harpreet deliberately crashed the bike into an electricity pole while the child was sitting in the front, leading to his death. She alleged Harpreet held a grudge against their family due to a previous dispute.

During the inquiry, Harpreet said he had taken the child for a bike ride at the insistence of Manjit Kaur, the child’s paternal aunt. He claimed that the accident happened because he lost control of the bike while adjusting the child’s cap, which was slipping off his head. He denied any malicious intent in the crash.

The case was registered under sections 106(1) (causing death by negligence) and 281 (rash and negligent driving on a public way) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Sadar Raikot police station.

Sadar Raikot station-house officer (SHO) sub-inspector Kulwinder Singh said the case is under investigation and initial findings suggest both parties had reached a financial settlement as Harpreet’s family offered compensation. However, the child’s family later rejected the amount, leading to the fresh legal complaint, he said.

The SHO added the police are probing the circumstances surrounding the incident.