Man dies after police action in Delhi road rage case, kin blame cops

The police refused to respond to the allegations but confirmed that Pawar was present at the site.

A 32-year-old man who was at the scene of a road rage incident in north-west Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar on early Monday died hours later, prompting his family to accuse a group of policemen present at the site of beating him to death.

The deceased, Suraj Prakash Pawar. (HT PHOTO)

The family of the victim, Suraj Prakash Pawar, said policemen present during a road rage incident in Adarsh Nagar between 2am and 3am on Monday hit him with lathis, and kicked and punched him when he tried to intervene in the scuffle, and tried to make a video of police action against him.

The police refused to respond to the allegations but confirmed that Pawar was present at the site, that he was taken to a local hospital at 4am, and that he died hours later. Police also did not clarify if Pawar was part of the scuffle, an onlooker, or if he intervened in the fight.

“…judicial enquiry into the matter is being carried out as per procedure,” said Jitendra Meena, deputy commissioner of police (north-west), in a statement.

Pawar lived with his parents and two siblings in Majlis Park, a neighbourhood close to the Azadpur Mandi in northwest Delhi. His older brother, Dev Prakash, said that Pawar, who was not married, was unemployed in recent months.

Shortly after midnight on Sunday, Pawar – who Prakash said was slightly drunk -- drove to help his friend Saket, who was only identified by his first name, to unload paneer from a truck at the Azadpur mandi, roughly 2km away.

On their way back, the two men noticed that occupants of two cars -- a Maruti Baleno and a Maruti WagonR – were involved in a road rage incident near the Adarsh Nagar metro station. Police said the cars likely grazed each other, resulting in an argument, followed by a fight.

“A crowd had gathered and Pawar and Saket parked their car on the side and went to intervene,” said Prakash.

The DCP confirmed the road rage incident. “The policemen noticed some people being involved in a scuffle during a road rage and intervened, but both the parties continued quarrelling with each other. So, the police team called an ERV team from the local Adarsh Nagar police station,” said the DCP.

Prakash said when Pawar reached the scene, police were trying to disperse a crowd that had gathered. “One policeman hit my brother with a danda. When he turned back to check, another policeman again hit him. Like people usually do in this age, my brother objected to being hit by the policemen and pulled out his mobile phone to record the violence as evidence,” Prakash said.

This enraged the police, Prakash alleged, and the two policemen were joined by their colleagues. “My brother was repeated hit with a stick, and kicked and punched by them. Most of the people involved in the actual road rage fled the scene,” Prakash said. “My brother’s hand was fractured due to the assault.”

Prakash said the policemen were allegedly drunk. The police did not respond to the charge. “It is not fair for us to speak on the case when an independent enquiry is on,” said a spokesperson of the Delhi Police.

Saket could not be reached for a comment.

The DCP said that while most people escaped form the scene, the policemen took away three people -- including Pawar -- to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital around 4am for medical examination. “One person among them, namely Suraj Prakash (Pawar), was given treatment at BJRM Hospital,” the DCP said, not clarifying the circumstances under which Pawar received the injuries that required medical intervention.

“They were brought back to the police station (after the hospital visit) to hand them over to the emergency officer for further necessary action. The condition of the patient in the meantime deteriorated and he suddenly fell ill. The patient was again admitted to BJRM Hospital wherein he was declared brought dead,” said the DCP.

Prakash said that no one in his family was informed of Pawar’s detention by the police, or of his medical emergency. “Instead, it was Saket who visited my home to inform me about my brother’s condition,” Prakash said.

Prakash and his other relatives rushed to the police station a little after 5.30am, only to be informed that Pawar was taken to the hospital. “At the hospital, we were informed that my brother died,” he added.