7-year-old girl on way to school crushed to death by car in Gurugram

A seven-year-old girl was killed and her father and brother injured after they were hit by a speeding car in Gurugram. The car driver has been arrested.

Gurugram: A seven-year-old girl who was on her way to school on a scooter was crushed to death, while her father and brother were injured, after they were hit by a speeding car coming from the wrong side near the Sector 22 main market in Palam Vihar on Thursday morning, Gurugram police said.

7-year-old girl on way to school crushed to death by car in Gurugram

Police said the incident took place at about 6.38am, when Gurmeet Singh was taking his daughter Sehajpreet Kaur and 10-year-old son Arshdeep Singh to drop them to school from their residence near the Gurdwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha less than a kilometre away.

Investigators said Singh was riding the scooter on the main sector road along with his two children and were about to reach the school, when a speeding Maruti Celerio rammed them from the front. They said the impact of the collision was such that Singh and his son were flung into the air, while her daughter was dragged beneath the speeding car.

Police said passersby overpowered the car driver and handed him over to a police team that reached the spot.

According to police, the deceased’s brother is stable, but her father’s condition is critical, and he is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Palam Vihar.

On the basis of a complaint from the deceased’s mother Kavaljeet Kaur, an FIR was registered against the car driver under Section 279 (rash driving and riding on public way), 304A (causing death by negligence) and 427 (mischief causing loss or damage to the amount of ₹50 or above) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Palam Vihar police station, said police.

Inspector Deepak Kumar, station house officer (SHO) of Palam Vihar police station, said the arrested car driver was identified as Dhirender Kumar (40), a resident of Dharam Colony in Palam Vihar Extension.

“We have conducted a medical test on the driver. During interrogation, he told us that he was trying to avoid hitting another vehicle due to which he steered sharply and hit the scooter after veering off course. However, he was definitely speeding,” the SHO said.