Delhi: Five sustain burn injuries as driver sets taxi stand on fire

Five persons sustained burn injuries and seven vehicles were gutted in Madhu Vihar area of east Delhi early Tuesday after a taxi driver allegedly set fire to the taxi stand to vent his anger on being scolded by his employer and the owner of the taxi stand

Five persons sustained burn injuries and seven vehicles were gutted in Madhu Vihar area of east Delhi early Tuesday after a taxi driver allegedly set fire to the taxi stand to vent his anger on being scolded by his employer and the owner of the taxi stand. Two of the injured are currently critical with over 70% burns, the police said, adding that the accused driver has been arrested.

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Priyanka Kashyap, deputy commissioner of police (east), identified the accused driver as 32-year-old Manoj Kumar alias Jhandu Shah. “The accused, who also works as a taxi driver and resides at the taxi stand itself, has revealed during interrogation that the owner of the taxi stand at Pankaj Plaza, 45-year-old Sukhveer Singh, who also happens to be his employer, had scolded him and misbehaved with him on Monday. Angered by that, he set the taxi stand on fire and then surrendered at the Madhu Vihar police station,” she said.

She said the injured have been identified as NB Bahuguna (65), Chander Pal (32), Sikander (45), Ajay Kumar (32) and Durga Singh (45). “While Bahuguna has over 90% burn injuries, Sikander has 70% burn injuries. Both of them are critical. The other persons also have nearly 30% burn injuries. A case against Kumar has been registered at the Madhu Vihar police station,” the DCP said. All of those injured were sleeping in their taxis at the time of the incident.

Kashyap said on receiving information about the fire, the police alerted the Delhi Fire Services (DFS).

DFS chief Atul Garg said on being alerted, a firefighting team rushed to the spot. “Seven vehicles, including cars, bikes and scooters, were on fire and five persons had sustained burn injuries. We rescued them and sent them to the Lal Bahadur Shastri hospital,” he said.

When contacted, a doctor from the emergency department of the Lal Bahadur Shastri hospital said a team of expert doctors are working relentlessly to save the lives of the two grievously burnt persons. “They were brought here in a very bad condition. We are working on saving them,” said the doctor, asking not to be named.