Child accidentally starts unattended e-rickshaw, mows down cousin in Delhi

A five-year-old boy accidentally started an unattended e-rickshaw, killing his two-year-old cousin in Delhi

New Delhi

Hindustan Times file photo

A five-year-old boy accidentally started an unattended e-rickshaw in north Delhi’s Burari, running over his two-year-old cousin and killing him on the spot, police said on Thursday.

Police said they have booked e-rickshaw driver Raja Ram for negligence leading to death, in the incident that took place on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Mihir, a resident of Seelampur.

They said that the incident adds to the rising number of fatalities and road crashes involving e-rickshaws, with at least 27 deaths so far linked to the alleged negligence of rickshaw drivers.

A senior police officer, not wishing to be named, said the incident took place in Uttarakhand Colony of Burari on Tuesday afternoon. Around 2pm, Ram left his vehicle unattended near an electric pole while he went to deliver water cans, police said.

Mihir and his cousin were playing outside their house, when one of the boys got on the e-rickshaw. “The other boy is also very young and had no idea of what he was doing. He accidentally started the e-rickshaw and drove towards his young cousin. The family members rushed out to help but the boy was mowed down. The e-rickshaw could not be stopped and locals had to chase the vehicle to stop it,” the officer said.

Mihir was taken to Burari Hospital where he was declared dead.

HT image

His mother, Rupali, 24, said that she was visiting her maternal home so the kids could spend their vacation together.

“I was feeding Mihir while he was playing. He rushed outside to play and I followed him. There was an e-rickshaw parked outside…There were a lot of water cans inside. My brother’s sons were also playing. During this time, he (one of the cousins) stepped inside the vehicle and started it. My son was mowed down. I tried to stop the e-rickshaw but couldn’t. My son was killed…This all happened because of the driver who left the keys inside. I can’t believe my son is gone. What was his fault? He was not even on the road,” she said.

Rupali is a homemaker while her husband Mayur works odd jobs to support the family. The family also has a three-month-old daughter.

Until September 15, 24 deaths and 100 injuries linked to e-rickshaw accidents have been recorded this year, according to Delhi Traffic Police.

The Delhi Police said they have been taking stringent measures to curb such incidents and have impounded over 2,278 e-rickshaws this year on account of several violations. The number of challans to e-rickshaws also rose this year, with 432,000 issued till September 15, in contrast to 352,000 issued last year.