Dragged to death: Hit & run cases a recurring nightmare in Lucknow

The car first rammed into the man on the cycle, dragged it a few metres before smashing into the other man on the scooty. Both died while undergoing treatment in hospital, say police

LUCKNOW A small two-room accommodation at K2 Park in Mahanagar is now vacant after a “deadly Sunday night”. Its occupant, Dharmendra Pal, 27, who worked as a gardener in this area, was run over by a rashly driven car when he was out on his bicycle for an errand. Pal’s five-month pregnant wife Rinki and other kin have left the city to perform his last rites in Gonda and haven’t returned since.

Nandkumar Trivedi, 30, an area sales manager who ventured out of his house to purchase a diaper for his child, also lost his life the same way that night. The scooty-borne man was knocked down by the same car near Midland Hospital in Mahanagar. He is survived by his 27-year-old wife, Deepali, and 2.5-year-old son Shibu.

Lives of both families have turned into a nightmare after the over-speeding car driven by a jeweller hit the cyclist (gardener) and then a two-wheeler (driven by the sales manager) - both residents of Mahanagar - on Sunday night. The car first rammed into the man on the cycle, dragged it a few metres before smashing into the other man on the scooty. Both died while undergoing treatment in hospital, said the police.

A 10-second video of the incident also went viral on social media.

The gardener’s wife Rinki Pal was distraught as she connected on call from Gonda and shared her helplessness after the tragedy. My husband was the only bread earner for the family...now Iam worried about our child that is yet to be born. We returned home (Gonda) for the cremation, but I don’t know if I will ever return to Lucknow,” she lamented.

“My brother-in-law was very young and he got married only a year back,” said Vishwanath Pal, brother-in-law of the deceased gardener. “He had lived here for 10 years and was going to start a new family with the birth of his child. But all that is now shattered now,” he said call from Gonda.

Karan Yadav and Jitendra Kumar, paan shop owners near the accident spot were friends with the victim’s family, as Pal’s brother-in-law Vishwanath sold eggs at Midland Hospital crossing, 200 metres from the accident spot. “We rushed to the spot as soon as we heard of the accident. When we reached, the car had sped off, dragging the other victim along with it,” said Yadav.

Kumar said: “Dharmendra Pal was a good man, ready to help whenever you needed him.”

A pall of gloom also descended over another family living in Rahim Nagar in Mahanagar area. “My brother Nand Kumar Trivedi used to live here in a rented accommodation with his wife Deepali and 2.5-year-old child,” said Virendra Trivedi, brother of the deceased.

Virendra said his brother had gone to buy a diaper for his child when the accident happened. “The incident has shattered our life. We lost our father in childhood and our mother raised us. She settled us only to see her son dying like this,” said the brother, adding that the deceased worked as area sales manager in a sanitary manufacturing company. “We performed his last rites last night and the entire family is still in shock,” he added.

The driver of the rashly driven car has been identified through CCTV footage but is yet to be nabbed even after over 48 hours of the accident. “The person is hiding after the accident and the police are trying to nab him. We’re thinking of sealing his house, if he does not surrender before the police,” said AK Mishra, SHO, Mahanagar.

According to police, the accused driver has been identified as a jewellery businessman Prateek Jaiswal, a resident of Mahanagar. The man was reportedly driving the car in a fit of rage after a fight with his wife, said the accused’s mother.

Confusion over the proposed amendment to the penalty for hit and run cases in the Motor Vehicles Act earlier this year is yet to be cleared. An amendment, which led to widespread protests, finally led to a stay on this proposal pending consultation with all stakeholding bodies.