Speeding DTC bus kills 2 in Delhi's Nangloi; angry locals vandalise, set it on fire

DTC officials have informed us that five buses passing that way were vandalised and their windows and seats were broken, a police official said.

Two men were killed and two others injured after a speeding Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus ploughed into multiple vehicles on outer Delhi’s Nangloi-Najafgarh Road on Monday morning, triggering outrage among locals who later torched a bus, vandalised several others and also assaulted two DTC drivers.

The driver of the offending bus, identified by his first name as Deepak, has been arrested on charges of causing death by negligence and rash driving. (Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times)

Police said the bus rammed into a scooter, two motorcycles and a cycle rickshaw around 9.45am, dragging at least one victim for several metres before coming to a halt. The driver of the offending bus, identified by his first name as Deepak, has been arrested on charges of causing death by negligence and rash driving. Another case has been registered against “miscreants” for damaging the buses.

The deceased were identified as Ravi Kant Sharma, 32, a resident of Nihal Vihar, and Kamal Jeet Tilwalia, 39, a resident of Shiv Ram Park. The injured were identified as Ruby Kumari, 20, and her friend Aman Kumar, 23, both residents of Nangloi. Sharma was riding a scooter, and Tilwalia a motorcycle, while Kumari and Kumar were travelling on another motorcycle. The two injured DTC drivers did not want to be named.

Deputy commissioner of police (outer) Vikram Singh said the police control room received a call about the accident at 9.45am. “When our teams reached the spot, eyewitnesses told us that a DTC cluster bus, coming from the Najafgarh side, first hit a scooter and then rammed two motorcycles and a cycle rickshaw,” Singh said.

A view of the DTC bus which allegedly ran over pedestrians, killing two people on Monday morning seen parked outside the Nangloi Police Station in New Delhi. (Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times)

“Subsequently, around 500 people gathered at the spot and damaged the bus involved in the accident and also burnt another DTC bus. DTC officials have informed us that five buses passing that way were vandalised and their windows and seats were broken,” a police officer said, asking not to be named.

Ruby Kumari, who suffered injuries around her eye and required 17 stitches, said she and her friend Aman Kumar were on their way to work when the bus rammed into them.

“I work as a customer service executive and was heading to work with a friend when suddenly it felt like one or two vehicles fell on top of us,” she said. Kumari said she was bleeding heavily and was pulled to safety by bystanders.

“The bus tyres stopped right next to where I was lying,” she said.

Subhash Kumar, 42, a local who witnessed the crash, said the bus was speeding and dragged Sharma for several metres after hitting him from behind. “He dragged for a few metres before the bus stopped. We pulled him out and rushed him to a hospital,” Kumar said.

He alleged that police reached the spot nearly an hour later, by which time the mob had already torched and vandalised buses.

DCP Singh refuted the allegation and said police teams reached the site within 10 minutes of receiving the call.

Sharma’s brother Shashi Kant, 38, said Sharma ran a transport business in Nangloi and had left for work shortly before the accident.

“I left home about 10 minutes after him. When I reached the area, there was a traffic jam and some commotion. I saw my brother’s shoe at the spot and locals told me he had been taken to a nearby hospital,” he said.

Kant said Sharma was first taken to a private hospital but was denied admission and later taken to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, where he was declared dead. Sharma is survived by his wife and five-year-old daughter, he said. “He was the only earning member. We want the government to give his wife a job and support his daughter’s education,” Kant said.

Tilwalia’s brother Manish, 42, said his brother worked as a sales executive in Khari Baoli and supported their elderly parents. Tilwalia was divorced. “Tragedy struck our family today, but unless these drivers are controlled it will happen again to someone else. These buses keep racing each other and people keep dying,” he said.

A transport department official, requesting anonymity, said, “Drivers who are involved in fatal accidents are blacklisted by the concessionaire. In this case, the concerned depot manager will initiate action. The concessionaire will terminate the driver. DTC has also sought an inquiry report in the matter.”

(with inputs from Yug Singh Chauhan)