Delhi: E-rickshaw driver killed by other drivers for taking too many passengers

The accused were waiting for passengers at the Dwarka Sector 10 metro station for a long time and were angered that the victim cut into their earnings

Two e-rickshaw drivers beat a 30-year-old fellow driver to death at the Dwarka Sector 10 metro station, angered by what they perceived as him taking more than his fair share of passengers and depriving them of fares, police said, adding that one of the accused was detained for questioning on Saturday.

Dharmender Yadav. (HT Photo)

The victim, Dharmender Yadav, was a resident of Goyla Dairy in south-west Delhi. The accused were reportedly friends with the victim, said police. The incident took place between 9 and 10pm on Monday when Yadav and other e-rickshaw drivers were waiting for passengers outside the metro station.

“We conducted an inquiry and found that the victim and his friends fought over passengers. The victim had taken a few extra passengers which angered the accused as they also had been waiting for passengers for a long time. The victim, by filling up his e-rickshaw to capacity with passengers, denied the other drivers the opportunity to earn some money. So, the accused assaulted and choked the victim. We identified the main accused and detained him on Friday. He is being questioned,” said a senior police officer associated with the case.

The complaint in this case was filed by the victim’s brother, Jitender Yadav, 26, who works as a security guard.

“I was on duty and my friends told me that my brother was attacked. My brother was taking passengers when two other drivers started a fight with him. One of our mutual friends saw the accused holding my brother, slapping him and slamming his face into the wall. They brutally assaulted him...His face and neck were swollen. He left and came to meet me in Dwarka Sector 18. We went home but his condition deteriorated over the next few hours. We took him to Deen Dayal Hospital...he had collapsed. Doctors told us he had died,” said Yadav.

Police said that according to the medico-legal case at Deen Dayal Hospital, the victim suffered injuries and swelling on his face and neck and bruises on his chest and abdomen.

“The post-mortem examination report is pending and further legal action will be taken against the detained person after the report is released,” said the officer.

Based on Yadav’s complaint, a first information report was registered on Wednesday on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Yadav is survived by his brother and parents.