Palwal hit and run: Ambulance delay forces villagers to carry wounded kids on bikes

The driver was identified as head constable Narender Singh, who had purchased the car barely 10 days earlier.

Locals in Palwal rushed three critically injured schoolboys on motorcycles after a drunk policeman’s speeding car mowed them down on Monday, as ambulances allegedly took too long to arrive. Two of the children—brothers Mohammad Ayan, 13, and Mohammad Ahsaan, 9—died, while their youngest sibling, Mohammad Arjaan, 7, remains in a critical condition.

The mangled car. (HT Photo)

The brothers, accompanied by their grandfather Aas Mohammad, were walking home from their government school in Uttawar when they were hit between 1.30pm and 2pm, locals said. “When we realised that the children were still breathing, we loaded them on two motorcycles to rush them to the hospital, as ambulances were yet to arrive,” said Tarif Mohammad, a villager. A purported video of the desperate effort shows two men balancing the unconscious children on motorbikes.

Villagers first took the boys to a private hospital three kilometres away. Doctors there said they were ill-equipped to treat them. “Finally, we rented private ambulances and rushed them to Nalhar Medical College and Hospital, Nuh. However, doctors declared Ayan and Ahsaan dead on arrival,” Tarif added.

The driver was identified as head constable Narender Singh, who had purchased the car barely 10 days earlier. Villagers chased and intercepted his vehicle about a kilometre from the accident spot and found him drunk. Singh, posted in Nuh, was later arrested.

Hathin DSP Mohinder Singh confirmed the accused was produced before a Palwal court on Tuesday and granted bail, since the FIR carried bailable sections. “Prima facie it was clear that he was drunk. His blood samples have been preserved for forensic analysis,” the DSP said.

Nuh police spokesperson Krishan Kumar said Singh will be suspended after formal communication from Palwal police. “A departmental proceeding will also be initiated, separate from the legal action,” he said.