East Delhi: Woman killed as e-rickshaw rams 2-wheeler

The incident adds to the rising number of fatalities and road crashes involving e-rickshaws, with at least 24 deaths so far linked to the alleged negligence of rickshaw drivers.

A 76-year-old woman was killed and her husband was injured on Monday after their scooter was hit by a speeding e-rickshaw in east Delhi’s Jagatpuri, police said on Wednesday. The incident adds to the rising number of fatalities and road crashes involving e-rickshaws, with at least 24 deaths so far linked to the alleged negligence of rickshaw drivers.

Police have registered a case but the driver of the e-rickshaw, who fled the spot, has yet to be arrested.

A police officer aware of the matter identified the victims as Satnam Kaur and her husband Rajender Singh,78, residents of Rajgarh Colony in Gandhi Nagar.

Police have registered a case but the driver of the e-rickshaw, who fled the spot, has yet to be arrested.

The accident took place around 7 pm on Monday as the couple was returning home from a visit to a gurdwara on scooter. According to the police, the e-rickshaw bearing a Delhi registration number struck the two-wheeler at speed.

The impact caused them both to fall and sustain injuries. Kaur was first taken to Makkar Hospital in Laxmi Nagar, where she was provided initial medical aid, said the officer quoted above.

“As her condition worsened, she was referred to Metro Hospital in Preet Vihar. However, doctors there declared her dead on arrival [later on Monday],” the officer added.

Singh, who suffered comparatively minor injuries in the accident, was admitted to Goyal Hospital and is in a stable condition according to doctors, police said.

Based on the statement of the injured and initial findings at the scene, a case has been registered under sections 281 (rash driving), 125A (negligent act) and 106(1) (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Jagatpuri police station, a senior police officer said.

The e-rickshaw involved in the accident has been identified and teams are looking for the driver who fled the spot. CCTV footage from the area is being scanned to reconstruct the sequence of events and determine whether any traffic violations or negligence led to the fatal accident, the officer said.

The stretch of Patparganj Road where the incident occurred is known to be busy, particularly during evening hours, and residents have often raised concerns over speeding and unregulated movement of e-rickshaws because of the multiple metro stations in its vicinity.

Police said that they have often tried to regulate the movement of e-rickshaws in that area but have gained little success. [any quote on this]

HT earlier reported that the draft EV policy for Delhi, which is in the final stage of consultations, has also proposed steps to regulate Delhi’s unstructured e-rickshaw ecosystem, including rationalising their numbers, and mandating routes based on demand and traffic flow.

At least 24 deaths and over 100 injuries linked to e-rickshaw accidents have been recorded so far 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 2,200 e-rickshaws this year till September on account of several violations. The number of challans to e-rickshaws also rose this year, with 4.3 lakh issued till September, in contrast to 3.5 lakh issued in 2024.